Zen and the art of bicycling

‘A Zen teacher saw five of his students returning from the market, riding their bicycles. When they arrived at the monastery and had dismounted, the teacher asked the students, “Why are you riding your bicycles?”

The first student replied, “The bicycle is carrying this sack of potatoes. I am glad that I do not have to carry them on my back!” The teacher praised the first student. “You are a smart boy! When you grow old, you will not walk hunched over like I do.”

The second student replied, “I love to watch the trees and fields pass by as I roll down the path!” The teacher commended the second student, “Your eyes are open, and you see the world.”

The third student replied, “When I ride my bicycle, I am content to chant nam myoho renge kyo.” The teacher gave his praise to the third student, “Your mind will roll with the ease of a newly trued wheel.”

The fourth student replied, “Riding my bicycle, I live in harmony with all sentient beings.” The teacher was pleased and said to the fourth student, “You are riding on the golden path of non-harming.”

The fifth student replied, “I ride my bicycle to ride my bicycle.” The teacher sat at the feet of the fifth student and said, “I am your student.”’

Zen proverb

What a glorious ride that was

13 mile training loop

Cyclist in council pothole payout - About time Local Authroties were made to pay

Cyclist in council pothole payout

A cyclist who suffered broken ribs and other injuries after riding over a pothole in Berkshire has been awarded £7,600 in compensation.

Ian Davis, 49, was cycling along the B4000 between Lambourn and Newbury when he came off his bike in 2006.

A county court ruled West Berkshire District Council had breached its duty of care to inspect roads regularly.

The council said it has invested heavily in maintaining the road since the incident.

Mr Davis suffered broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder and injuries to his hands, hip and ankle.

'Triumph for cyclists'

After the ruling he said: "I didn't think I'd get that sort of money, maybe even half that.

"It was unfortunate for the council that they didn't have all the documentation to hand to prove what they claimed they had done."

In a statement the council said: ""Obviously we accept the decision of the courts.

"Regarding the road, extensive resurfacing has been done since February 2006.

"In March and April that year £155,000 was spent resurfacing the stretch through Wickham, and in 2008 a further £100,000 on other stretches of the road."

Enid Brenyah, Mr Davis' solicitor said the case represented "a triumph for cyclists who have suffered injuries due to poorly maintained roads".

The Local Government Association said that last year, councils in England and Wales spent more in compensation to road users for pothole-related accidents than they did in repairing potholes - spending £53m in payouts and £52m in repairs.


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/england/berkshire/7979875.stm

Published: 2009/04/02 17:06:02 GMT

© BBC MMIX

A Marked Improvement

I am feeling pretty pleased with myself having knocked seven minutes off my 13 mile training circuit in under a year.

In May last year it took me 55:12 at an average speed of 14.5 mph. Today I did the same route in 47:58 at an average of 16.5 mph. Maybe not fast by some standards but hey, this is me so who cares

Today’s time was also quite a bit faster than my previous PB of 51:29 (15.2 mph) which I did over the same circuit in September last year.

18 May '08

2 Apr 09

1,000 miles and counting

Ah what a glorious day’s riding. After early morning cloud, the sun came out and warmed the air to a crisp 11C (52F in old money) and a not too fierce 11 mph windspeed. It was one of those days when it was great to be out riding and I had to force myself to stop. Ah well.

I also turned another milestone today in that I have ridden 1,000 miles since I bought my Garmin in May last year (9 months). Well, I probably completed the 1,000 before now as there were a couple of occasions when my Garmin stopped working.

And as for the stats to with it:

• If I had ridden non-stop it would have taken me 3 days, 2 hours and 47 minutes
• I averaged 14.4 mph
• I climbed a total of 40,019 feet – that’s one long hill at nearly 7 and a half miles high, or nearly twice the height of Mount Everest which is 29,035 feet high

40 miles and no punctures plus the phantom cyclist

It looks as though the new tyres have made a difference as I have just ridden 40 miles without a puncture. That’s not to say that this isn’t now my latest obsession while riding. What with wondering what this or that click is, I now have to worry about whether the tyre is going down because the road happens to be a bit bumpier.

I am pretty pleased with the progress I am making in getting back to my pre-accident level of fitness. I rode 40 miles last Thursday and 40 today, that’s 80 miles in four days. Mind you today’s average speed was down quite a bit (14 mph compared to 14.9 mph last Thursday). Still I was riding into an 11 mph wind which would have slowed me down a bit anyway. And I have to say the last five miles of today’s ride were something of a struggle with my thigh muscles threatening to give out any minute and my sit bones screaming at me to get out of the saddle.

I have just noticed that my gps went a little crazy today claiming I started at 88 feet below sea level and ended up 18 feet above. The 18 feet above is probably about right but as this was a circular ride, the starting altitude should have been the same and definately not 88 feet below.

Link to full data

Now to the phantom rider.

I have heard of other people speak of this phenomena. What happens is you hear a rider behind you. At first this is fine and I don’t mind someone slipstreaming me. But after a while it starts to get a bit irritating and I wonder why the person won’t pass. So I’ll speed up a bit. No difference, he is still there. So I’ll slow down, no difference and he still will not pass. Finally having had enough I glance back over my shoulder to see that there is no-one there. The sound of the phantom rider is, in fact, the sound of my own bike echoing back off of hedges or a wall – it only seems to happen very rarely so the air quality, wind, or something else must also have an effect. Either that, or it really is the spirit of some disembodied rider.

The Flintstones

Punctures seems to be a way of life for me at the moment. Probably something to do with the lightweight tyres that I am using. Although I popped down to my local bike shop on Friday and the guy there was saying that there is a lot of rubbish on the roads at the moment, including flint. Flint?! How the heck does that get there? I thought this was 2009, not 10,000 BC. Or maybe the flint has something to do with the recent road gritting that's been going on due to freezing temperatures. I doubt it somehow although it would never surprise me if the Local Authority turned round one day said they had gritted the roads with a nice sharp stone that can easily cut through tyres.

It is now a case of new tyres for old, and I have replaced them with Bontrager Race Lites. Now for the geeky bit:

The Race Lite Hardcase offers armor-clad flat protection without sacrificing high-end road feel.

Dramatically reduce the risk of flatting with the triple flat protection of Race Lite Hardcase tires: the bead-to-bead woven construction reduces sidewall cuts; anti-pinch ribs eliminate pinch flats; and a Kevlar belt provides outstanding puncture resistance.

And the Hardcase's high-speed tread compound provides optimal traction and low rolling resistance no matter what the weather, so this tyre is equally at home training and racing. Dramatically reduce the risk of flatting with the triple puncture protection of Bontrager’s Hardcase technology

So now if I get mugged all I need to do is simply shout "Stab the tyres, stab the tyres" and can then laugh and ride off into the sunset as they have a Kevlar belt. But will they stop the flint and punctures? I guess I'll find out tomorrow.

And yes, saddest of all, here's a picture of them!

Throw the Zimmer Away

I came across an article in Cycling Weekly about a man called John Woodburn who is still racing at the age of 72. Apparently he regularly breaks the hour for a 25 mile time trial, sometimes by several minutes. His times are impressive for a cyclist of any age. But, to get his times at the age of 72 is doubly impressive. He also still rides 200 miles a week in training.

I hope that I can ride that well when I get to 72.

40 Miles of Joy – Almost

The weather this morning was pretty bad – grey, grey and drizzle. Still the forecast looked hopeful with sun due later in the day (I’m starting to get worried about just how obsessed I am becoming with checking weather forecasts). So being ever hopeful, I sat back and waited it out. Well, I didn’t exactly sit back but never mind.

And I was rewarded. Early afternoon as I get ready to go out for a ride, the sun comes out and the grey disappears – for a while at least.

Then it’s off for a ride with the aim of getting in 40 miles which was my training distance before my crash. And I achieved it feeling remarkably ok. I was pretty pleased with my time too averaging 14.9 mph. But not without yet another puncture. So tomorrow it is off to the bike shop to get a new set of road tyres.

Link to the full data

Ahh the Irony

First it’s a broken elbow, then it’s snow. Today it’s…. read on

The day started well with the weather reasonably good, I was really feeling up for a long ride. I have also finally made a decision and have signed up for the 75 mile Essex Sportive – I’ll save the 100 miles for next year. So I now really have a couple of targets to aim for by way of sponsored rides:

• 60 miles on 17 May for a local Little Havens Children’s’ Hospice; and
• 75 miles on 10 June for male cancer

Today seemed like a good day to kick up the distance and aim for 3 training laps (39 miles in total). It was a bit chilly to start with, what with starting the ride into a headwind, but I soon warmed up and was thoroughly enjoying myself. My elbow didn’t play up much and when it did start to twinge, a quick stretch sorted it out.

Today I aimed to increase my distance to start building up to my first target of 60 miles. This was quite a bit different from recent rides where I had been trying to improve my time racing aging the virtual partner on my bike computer. At times though, I still felt myself pushing my speed and had to reign back.

Talking of reigning, I freaked out a horse today. Well, when I say I freaked it out, I think it was more the case its inexperienced rider freaking it out. There were four horses in a row and I shouted a merry “Good morning” as I passed the first one – ok, well more of an exhausted “Good Morning”. As I passed the third in line, its rider start waving a bit too frantically to be a friendly “Hello” and more like a frantic “Stop!” I pulled on the brakes, slowed down to a crawl and the horse started to skitter a bit. I still think if I had kept riding, the horse wouldn’t have been bothered in the slightest – none ever have before and I am riding a silent bike, not a roaring motorcycle!

Now, back to the title of this blog. Why the irony? Simply that I was feeling really good, coming to the end of the second loop (26 miles) when my rear tyre started to slowly deflate. Yep, puncture. I always care a spare tube but the pump I have just isn’t strong enough to inflate the tyre anymore than just about hard enough to ride home. I have a proper track pump at home which makes light work of inflating a tyre to 120 psi but not my bike pump. As luck would have it though, a friend of mine drove passed and stopped – how much of a coincidence was that? And to top it off, he was on his way home from his cycle club ride and had a decent bike pump with him. So with a fully filled tyre it was back on the road again.

The problem was though, that by this time, I had cooled right off. And with the weather being quite cold I just couldn’t get back into my stride. So after 26 miles I decided to call it quits.

After a hot shower and having cleaned my bike, one of the first things I did was to order a decent bike pump! This one to be precise - exiciting isn't it (NOT) (it’s supposed to get to 100 psi in less than 250 pumps)

Topeak Master Blaster Mini DX Pump with Gauge

Today’s Stats

Snow Go

I am sad to say (that's a little bit worse than 'sorry to say') that there will be no cycling from me this weekend. No I am not a fair weather cyclist but 35 mph winds yesterday and now this today:
which is also bit too much to battle through. So I will get the turbo trainer out and do an hour's cycling going nowhere. Boring!

This is a turbo trainer.
You hook your bike between it so your bike becomes a cycling machine

I have though signed up for my first sponsored ride this year which is the delightfully named Essex Countryside ride taking place on the 17 May. I'll be opting for the 60 mile ride. The good thing about this year's ride is that it is a lot earlier in the season - last year it was the week before the London to Southend which meant two 60 mile rides, one a week before the other. The downside of course is that there is less time to train for it. Still I do have 3 and a half months to prepare which should be ok, even with my enforced break in training.

Are Cycle Lanes for Cyclists?

There is a cycle lane which runs along Southend seafront that I refuse to use. Some of the car drivers who pass me make their views pretty clear and think I have no right to be cycling in the road – even though I am riding at between 20 – 25 mph.

The cycle lane runs the other side of the curb between the two sections of pavement

When the government were consulting on the new Highway Code last year they seemed to be in agreement with the motorist who thinks he or she has the sole right to the road by making it compulsory for cyclists to cycle in cycle lanes where one exists.

“Am I just being bloody minded or showing off in some way?” “Why should this be a problem?”, you may well ask. “Why shouldn’t cyclists ride in cycling lanes”.

Well the answer really is quite straight forward. Cycle lanes are not only used by cyclists. And if I am riding at 20 miles and hit someone, then I am liable. No matter that it is a cycle lane and they shouldn’t be there. So it’s a matter of slow down or not use. And I see no reason why I should spoil my ride just because I might be riding at between 5 and 10 miles below the speed limit.

Take last weekend for example. I thought I would be a good citizen and as there weren’t that many people about, thought I would use the cycle lane for a change. First I had to stop while a 5 year old decided which side of the lane she was going to ride or, indeed, if she would even bother to give way. Then there are the joggers who think that the 9 foot wide pavement which runs alongside the cycle lane is not for them. Then there are dog walkers. Or people who clearly think that the risk of being hit by a bike in the cycle lane is more of an appeal than walking on the pavement. And when I shout “Bike” or something like that, I am the one who ends up with the torrent of abuse!

So, for cycle lanes read ‘anyone who feels like using it’ and ‘ll carry on using the road – safer all round.

On the Road Again

Well it has been six weeks since that fateful day when I was out riding, hit a patch of black ice and ended up of the tarmac with a broken elbow. I did wonder if the local authority had a responsibility to grit the roads and so could in some way be responsible. If they were maybe I could sue for compensation – who cares about a compensation culture, just give me the money. Sadly none of the no-win no-fee companies I contacted were interested. It seems as if there is no clear cut answer as to how far their duty to grit goes. Ah well, not to worry.

Ok, back to the subject at hand. Today's weather forecast was good and tomorrow's said rain, so today would be the day I ventured back out on my bike. I was up nice and early for a reason not related to my ride which just as well because the temperature was only just above freezing and there was a thick frost. Luckily we had to do the shopping first and so the day had warmed up by the time we were finished.

Before I could go out though I needed to first replace the rear inner tube which had blown during the accident, then it was off to change into my cycling gear, including the new jersey I had bought myself for Christmas the chance to wear yet.

Assos cycling jersey

It felt great to be back out cycling again. Without blowing my own trumpet I was pleasantly surprised that I got in two laps of my training circuit (26 miles in total) and that the average speed was 14.5mph. Even more surprising was that my sit bones didn’t hurt at all. I have to say though that I approached left hand curves with more than a little trepidation and slowed to a walking pace when I went round the bend where I had had my accident. I would have liked to have tried for a third lap but my arm was starting to get rather sore and it seemed better to build up slowly rather than risk any damage that might put me back even further.

So now begins the road back to my previous level of fitness and with four months to prepare for my first sponsored ride of the year – 60 miles of Essex countryside for Little Havens Children's Hospice.

That’s all for now as I need to give my bike a well earned wash, clean and relube.

Full ride data

No More Early Morning Rides for Me

I have always enjoyed early morning rides. The air is fresh, in the summer there is often a crispness to it that makes riding that bit more enjoyable. On the weekends, especially Sunday, there is very little traffic on the road. But then I read this in the february Cycling Plus magazine. Is there really a risk of heart attack or stroke the early in the day one rides? But still, it is a very useful guide to when to ride and certainly hard evidence on stopping at that café for lunch!

MORNING GLORY OR AFTERNOON DELIGHT?

Early Morning: Go steady
Virtually all bodily functions are at their worst when you wake, plus you’re unlikely to have had any substantial food intake for 10 hours so energy stores will be depleted. To top things off, exercising early will leave you more prone to injury – or worse. “Research shows this is the most common time of day for suffering heart attacks and strokes while exercising” said Professor Waterhouse of Liverpool John Moores University. If you’re heading out early make it a steady ride and focus on the mental strength that goes with toughing it out when your body is at its worst.

Mid-morning: Pump iron
Though most functions that benefit endurance exercise will be improved from early morning may be a good time for strength training adaptations may be better. “There’s a strong argument for doing weight training in the morming if you’re trying to build muscle” said Dr Stephen Bird of the School of Human Movement Studies in Australia, “because testosterone, the hormone most responsible for muscle-boosting is at its highest around this time”.

Lunchtime: Give it a miss
Nearly all bodily function experience a lull in the middle of the day, particularly lung function and body temperature, which are crucial to cycling. Ideally avoid lunchtime for training but if there is no other option than make it a steady ride and save the tough stuff for a day when you can train later.A lunchtime ride may not do much for your cycling, but it could do wonders for your work. “Exercising during a working lunch break perks you up and is likely to make you more productive in the afternoon” said work-place psychologist Mike Clinton.

Mid-late afternoon: Speedwork and time-trials
Physically there are no negatives connected with this time of day – the only drawbacks are likely to be psychological. Mentally we’re at our best shortly after waking and things just get worse as the day goes on. Consequently, many people report that the hardest part of training in the mid-to-late afternoon is simply getting out of the door. But if you can summon up the mental strength, you should find you go faster at this time than any other, so it’s ideal for time-trials or speedwork, where you’re looking to get the best out of yourself.

Crashed Out!

So, I thought, today would be a good day for a ride. Sunny, little wind but quite chilly. What I hadn't bargained on was just how chilly it was. I was riding quite happily when I hit a patch of black ice. One moment I was riding along, the next I was laying on my side with my arm in agony. I had no recollection of falling, it all happened so fast. I guess the lucky thing was that it was in a rural area as there was no other traffic.

I managed to get back on my bike and struggle home. Most of the way my arm was at my side as it was too painful to hold the handlebars.

When I got home, I took off my helmet and my head was quite badly bruised - I always insist on wearing a helmet and can now smugly justify why as without it I have no doubt at all that I would have had a fractured skull. My helmet is cracked all the way through in two places.

I went off to the hospital for a check up and it turned out that I had a broken elbow and suspected broken writs in two places. Also, my thigh was very badly bruised. The ligaments in my arm are also badly damaged, limiting movement.

Still, the good news is that the only damage to my bike was to the handlebar tape which can esily be fixed.

Click here to view detailed data

How to talk to non-cyclists

Rule 1: Understand their bizarre world view..

You need to understand that non-cyclists don't realize that cycling is the most important thing any person can be doing at any given moment at any point in the universe. Non-cyclists' eyes - and minds - are shuttered, leaving them to believe that things like friends, community, work, and even family supercede what they naively call "just exercise." It's sad - OK, it's pathetic - but it's true.

To appease non-cyclists, when asked about what matters to you, you must from time to time mention friends, family, the environment, or some other such nonsense. Otherwise, they'll never leave you alone and it will be hours until you can get away, back to the comfort and kinship you feel when with your bicycle.

Rule 2. Use metaphors from "real life"

Non-cyclists aren't ready to hear about your exquisite existence in its unadulterated perfection. No, you will need to translate the sublime cycling experience into terms they might be able to understand. Naturally, you and I know that the following metaphors don't do the actual cycling event justice, but they'll have to do.

To describe how it feels to ride down perfectly banked, twisty forested singletrack on a cool autumn morning: "It's like that scene from Return of the Jedi where Luke and Leia are zooming on their flying motorcycle things. Except you're the one powering the flying motorcycle. And you're not being chased by stormtroopers. And you don't have to tolerate the constant chattering of Ewoks."
To explain why you gladly get up at 4:30am each weekday morning to ride your road bike for three hours on an entirely unremarkable road: "You know how you have to drive your car in stop-and-go traffic to get to work every morning? Well, imagine if you didn't have to stop. And imagine your car going as fast as you can make it go. And imagine starting the day feeling perfect. It's kind of like that."

To explain why you pay $200 to participate in a race you have very little chance in winning: "Ever play the lotto? It's like that, except much, much more so."

Rule 3: Pretend to be interested in their life

This one's going to knock you off your feet. Believe it or not, non-cyclists sometimes think they have something interesting to say, have an interesting hobby, or an interesting experience to relate.

This, of course, is utter nonsense.

Still, for the sake of propriety, you must act as if you care. Feel free, as they talk, to pleasantly daydream about biking. Just smile and say, "Absolutely," from time to time.

Warning: It's entirely possible that a non-cyclist will say something with which you disagree. When this happens, do not engage. If you do, you will have unwittingly stepped into a non-cycling conversation, and who knows where that will lead, or when it will end.

Always remember: Be polite, be brief, be gone.

Rule 4. Act like their theory on doping in cycling is very interesting

A tactic non-cyclists will often employ, once they have discovered you are a cyclist, is to try to talk with you about cycling. This usually takes the form of trying to talk with you about doping in cycling.

You will, no doubt, be tempted to gouge your ears out rather than hear their simplistic, uninformed opinion ("Doping is bad") to its rambling, incoherent conclusion. After all, as a cyclist, you have no doubt been pummelled with story after story after story about doping. You have heard so much about doping that you could now be called as an expert witness at the next doping trial. Or open a lab. Or be the next president of WADA (and you're rightly confident you'd do a much better job).

But if you point any of this out to your non-cyclist "friend," he will no doubt take that as a sign that you are interested in continuing the conversation. So, instead, repeat this simple phrase, "Yeah, doping sucks."

Your friend will feel like he has made his point, whatever it was.

Rule 5. Don't tell them the truth about how much your bike cost

Few people ever own anything that works, fits, or looks as well as a truly well-built bike. And yet, when they find that your bike costs as much as their high-end computer or mid-range stereo, they will fake a heart attack, guaranteed.

The solution? Tell non-cyclists you paid £499.99 for your bike, no matter how much you really paid for it. This number has been scientifically formulated to sound like more than a non-cyclist would pay for a bike, without otherwise drawing attention to itself.

No matter how you try, you can't always avoid non-cyclists. All you can hope to do is minimize contact with them - so you can get back to what's important.

And I think we both know what that is.


Source: http://www.bikeradar.com/road/news/article/humour-how-to-talk-to-non-cyclists-12730?source=newsletter&attr=road/2007/10/10

A Fine Day Out

The weather forecast was good. My new bike has only had a couple of outings (well I have only had it just over a week). Summer, or what there was of it, is drawing to a close so, I thought, what a good time to get out there for a nice long ride. I had been wanting to cycle to a place I had visited several times by car which goes by the illustrious name of Burnham-on-Crouch. Not that there is a great deal there apart from yacht and hostelries, but it was target to aim for and something of an ambition of mine to cycle there.

So a meticulous planning exercise was put underway on Saturday working out the best route to get there. To cycle there and back would have been about 70 miles. I decided I wasn't feeling that energetic so thought I would get the ferry back and cut out half of the return journey. But, as it turned out, the planning could have been a bit more meticulous.

Sunday morning arrives, and it's nice to get ready without having to rush around to meet a start time, although it does take me a good 30 minutes to find everything, including the mini tool kit which does a magnificent job of alluding me. Finally, I am all ready to go and set off with glad heart.

The wind is fresh (cold) and I am beginning to regret not wearing a long sleeve jersey or arm warmers. Shall I turn back? Nah, just carry on as I am bound to get warm. Big mistake as I never really did. Then it dawns on me. The wind is blowing from the east rather than the usual westerly. So what's the big deal? It means that I will be cycling into a headwind for a lot of the way. But if I change my plan and catch the ferry to the other side of the River Crouch first, then I can cycle back with a tailwind for most of the way. Bit of a no-brainer really. I had even checked the ferry website, and there were sailings on the hour every hour. A quick bit of mental arithmetic and with luck I should be at the ferry jetty about 10.30 which would mean a 30 minute wait. But better than a headwind.


And that was where the planning could have been a bit more meticulous. I arrive at the ferry point at 10.30 as predicted and with a good five miles added to my journey only to find that there isn't an 11 o'clock ferry. I read the departure times again and again but no, there is no 11 o'clock sailing.

Where's the ferry?

So, decision made, I am not going to wait 90 minutes so it's into the wind with a few miles added to my planned journey.


And off I go again! The first part of the journey was immensely enjoyable. Nice tailwind blowing me along, the hills are a lot easier on the new bike (or maybe also thanks to the wind) and in no time at all I reach my first check point, Battlesbridge – I break my rides down into check points to give me something to aim for. I am very tempted to stop for tea and cake but no, must press on as this is probably about half way there.


There is quite a steep hill out of the village but again, my Felt makes light work of it. Now comes the next interesting bit, I have left my map at home. I had worked out a route which went along various country lanes running roughly parallel to the main road. I think I can remember what it said. Nope, wrong on two occasions, going wrong the first time and thinking I had gone wrong the second but hadn't – you can just about see the two lines going nowhere on the top left-hand side of the map. Still it's all good practice.

And also, here began the fun, cycling into the wind and climbing several steep hills. These start at the 29 mile point, where the hill rises from about 28 feet to 180 feet over about a mile. I am afraid there isn't enough detail to accurately calculate the gradient, but the elevation profile shows pretty well how steep the end part of the ride was.



By the time I had got to the end of the second hill, my legs were aching like they have never ached before. But at least when I reached the summit of the hill, I could see below, the yachts on the River Crouch and new that this stage of my journey was drawing to an end. And I have to say, I was looking forward to the run down into the town centre and a rest in the sun by the River. There might even be a snack bar open so that I could have that tea and cake I forsook at Battlesbridge.



Unfortunately, there were several pubs with really nice looking food but I only had about 30 minutes before the ferry arrived which would not have been enough time. So lunch comprised the remains of the energy bar and packet of dried apricots, washed down with Gatorade – yum yum! Still, Burnham is nice little town and there was yacht racing to watch while waiting for the ferry so it wasn't all bad.

Yes, this was the ferry

The ferry journey back to Wallasea Island made a pleasant interruption to my journey and there were only two other people on board so taking my bike didn't cause any problems. I had to buy a return ticket though but was told I could use it any time. So maybe one for the first long ride of the Spring? Or maybe even this route the other way round in October? Who knows, I will just have to wait and see.

The final leg of the journey home was one I had made on many occasion. I passed an elderly couple also cycling and had a bit of a chat before riding off and heading for home. All was going well although my thighs were starting to ache pretty badly by this point. I don't know if it was breaking the journey with the 30 minute wait to the ferry or whether they had just had enough, but I reached appoint about five miles from home when I had to stop my bike and almost fell off. It was becoming impossible to pedal as my thighs had become two masses of pain with next to no strength in them. I can remember thinking at the time that if there was anyway I could have got a lift home I would have. The funny thing was that I didn't feel exhausted at all; it was just that my legs would not get through the pain barrier. I had a five minute rest and took off again. Somehow, through sheer willpower alone I made it home. All ideas of doing a 13 mile training lap to finish with completely and utterly gone. Even my planned cool down five minute ride at the end was impossible. It simply a matter of trying to get off my bike without falling off and then stumbling in through the front door to recover. Surprisingly, this didn't take as long as I though it would. One recovery drink and a shower later and I felt right as rain. Not that I was contemplating doing that final 13 mile training lap mind you!

All in a great ride in during which I covered 58.9 miles in 5 hours and 3 minutes, an average speed of 11.9 mph. It also turned out that I climbed a total of 2,085 feet which probably accounts for the unresponsive legs at the end.

CLICK FOR FULL RIDE DATA

Southend Bikeathon 2008

The least said about this year's bikeathon the better. Rain, cold, late for the start and my Garmin stopped working two-thirds of the way round so I have no idea how my times compared with previous years. But on the plus side, it was the first major outing on my new bike and, according to Tatia, I was the first one back. I can't vouch for that as it wasn't a race, but I did reach a point on the first lap (there are two laps to the full 26 miles) where I stopped passing anyone so it is possible I guess.

New Bike

After several weeks of agnoising and "shall I, shan't I" arguments with myself, I finally decided to upgrade and buy a new bike. And here it is:

London to Southend 2008

Do you ever have one of those days when the gods seem to conspire against you and something you had planned to do, you begin to woder if it's such a good idea after all? Well, today was one of those days.

It all began yesterday when we went to a BBQ. Rather than sticking to frut juice and leaving at a sensible time, I stuck to the Budweisers, didn't eat as I was going to have a pasta when we got home, but then didn't leave when I had planned to and so missed dinner altogether. Had a terrible night's sleep, woke late and missed the train I had planned to catch and had to miss breakfast as I was running late. No problem though, as I bagged some bananas and an energy ar planning to eat breakfast on the train. All well and good but I left the extra Gatorade at home and so was feeling quire dehydrated.

Once on the train though, things started to change for the better. There were engineering works on my line which meant all trains were being diverted to Liverpool Street – and one of the stops included Stratford. So, no need to have to change and get the organised train. There were lots of other people on the train taking part in the ride and it was good to while away the journey chatting to like-minded souls.

Then it was off the train and cycle to the starting point at Victoria Park. I got there and was ready for the off at 8.00, my original intended start time. All was well that ended well.

London to Southend 2008

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The ride was great fun, and for the large part very well marshalled. There was the usual crap trying to get out of London as we sat at red light after red light. But once on the outskirts the roads were a dream. There are a series of hills just outside London at Chigwell which were a right killer last year and I have to admit to walking up the last one. This year though, it was ride all the way – not without a great deal of effort mind you.

The wind wasn't too much of a problem apart from at a place called Hannignfield where there must be a two mile stretch of road running alongside the reservoir where 15 mph headwinds were blowing – not a lot of fun just over half way into the ride when the legs are starting to feel it a bit.

I must admit though that I was pleased to arrive at the finish line and the jacket potato was to die for!

I was very pleased that I considerably improved on my time – last year took me 4 and half hours, this year took only 3 hours 50 minutes.

CLICK TO VIEW FULL RIDE DATA

Can't wait for next year!!!

Whoops

Whoops I have just realised the London to Soutned ride is next weekend and not the 27th!!! That gives me just 7 days to recover from yesterday. Maybe I should have only done 40 miles - ah well, too late now.

Essex Countryside Ride

Well, today was the day and inspite of a later night last night and having to rouse myself from bed at 6.00 this morning for the ride, I was feeling pretty good and decided to go for the 60 mile ride – I could always change my mind at the time but you gotta aim high right?

Essex Countryside 2008 - 60 miler

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The weather forecast was fairly good, with a window in the rain promised for between 7:00 am and 1pm and the winds didn't seem too bad either.



So it was load up the bike and off I went.

When I got to the venue, the weather was actually quite chilly and I wished I had put a long sleeved shirt on. It ought to warm up once we get going but make note to self to get a pair of arm warmers as these can be worn or stashed as required.

There was a slight delay at the start as, in spite of it being advertised as a 7.30 start, the ride commentator (well, the guy blabbering into a microphone at the start) announced it wouldn't actually get underway until 8.00. In the end, the decided to split the difference and we were off at 7.45. And so, without further ado, the tape was cut and off we headed – all 800 of us. Well, no about 100 actually as the rest must have opted for a bit of a lie in and later start.

The ride itself was a great deal of fun. The weather held out for most of the way although the wind was biting cold at times and was gusting at up to 13.8 mph. So it was from sweating one minute to shivering the next. Not to mention the extra effort required for hills.

The wind also made it hard going up hills. Oh and as I say time and time again, anyone who thinks Essex is flat should try cycling here!

Total climb = 1,937ft

I felt pretty comfortable for most of the ride but the last three miles become a battle of will-power against sheer exhaustion. And it didn't help that it was all up-hill. My legs were just about giving out. But the crowning glory? A half mile uphill with roadbumps just before the finish! Whoever worked out that part of the route should be made to ride it daily!


And then it was across the finish line, collect my medal and certificate and tuck into a large, greasy cheeseburger with no feelings of guilt as surely I am allowed some indulgence for cycling 60 miles and burning off 3,750 calories.


I was slightly disappointed with the time as 4 hours 35 minutes (average 13.2 mph) - I would have liked the average to have been closer to 14 mph. Still there is always the London to Southend ride in two weeks!


The Results

The detailed results: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6223007

Another Windy Day

Why is it so damn windy in Britain these days? Where are the supposed long, warm calm sunny days. I checked the weather forecast this morning and came close to cancelling my ride:



34 mph gusts increasing to 45mph! I wonder how much that effectively adds to your distance? Looking back over recent rides the weather seems to be nothing but windy!

But still I went ahead as planed and it was only in one or two places that the wind almost brought me to a standstill. In the end, I did a healthy 39.75 miles in 2 hours 50 minutes (14.0 mph average).

Bloody Awful

Well, that must count as just about the worst ride I've had. Not that anything seriously untoward happened – no white van drivers trying to knock me off the road. Just 25 mph winds, bottom bracket developing an annoying click, seriously bad indigestion kicking in, foot cramp and my Achilles tendon hurting like hell. Oh yes and it started to rain too. So 1 lap it was then into the shower. Let's hope Sunday's is better as the 60 miler is fast approaching and I need the training.

The figures:
Distance: 13.27 miles
Time: 53.24
Average speed: 14.9 mph
Max speed: 21.9mph
Calories 816
Av Cadence: 65 rpm

Bloody Marvellous

Ah what a difference 48 hours makes.

This morning's ride was wonderful. 39 miles in weather that may not have been quite perfect but really good for riding nonetheless. Sun, cloud now and again, wind that offered and challenge and cooled. Shame I didn't have time to do a fourth lap but is was back to my usual job of unpaid chauffer!

Feeling much more confident about the Essex Countryside Ride in two weeks time although I am still debating between te 40 and 60 mile route. The main reason being that the London to Southend ride is two weeks after and I don't want to overdo the training.

http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6109477