That was an eventful 40 miles

What a ride that was. Enjoyable, frustrating, fascinating, and embarrassing.

Why embarrassing? Because I fell off. Didn’t crash, didn’t hit anything, no mechanical failure. Just fell off. How come? Well, I recently bought a new pair of pedals which my shoes clip into (go figure). Stories abound on forums and at my cycling club that just falling over with clipless pedals is quite a common occurrence while trying to get used to them. Anticipation is everything. And failing to anticipate that I might need to put my foot on the ground was certainly the cause of the problem in my case.

This isn’t as dumb as it sounds. Picture this. I was cycling up a hill with a roundabout at the top. There was a queue of cars which I cycled up the inside of. Then, when I got to the roundabout, I was second guessing if the car in front would go so that I could follow him round. Well, it turned out that he wasn’t going to move off and as I was still having to pedal quite hard (I was going up hill remember), I didn’t try to free my shoes until the last minute. Then panic sets in and there is no way they are ever going to unclip. And I have to admit, I felt like the dumbest idiot ever to get on a bike. I simply came to a halt and toppled over onto the pavement. Luckily ending up with nothing more serious than road rash on my left shin. But why bother with clipless pedals? (although I refute the statement that it’s safer):



and just how dumb did I look? A bit like this:



And so to frustrating. For some reason, and I know not what, the spokes on my front wheel decided to take it in turns to come lose. And there is nothing more irritating than hearing a bussing sound while riding. To be exact, any roadie will tell, the bike should be silent apart from the noise of the tyres. It’s one of the golden rules of road cycling. Similar to your bike having to be at least 10 times shinier than when you bought it. I must have stopped at least four or five times to tighten the spokes. Time for a service I think.

And fascinating? I didn’t have any particular route planned and turned off of the main road, following a sign to Fambridge. No idea why and the road didn’t go any further than Fambridge anyway. But I came across this which I can only describe as a cross between a tombstone and an obelisk.



It certainly wasn’t a long lived airfield, only having been open for 9 months but it does claim to have been the first in England. I suppose opening and closing an airfield wasn’t that much of big thing back in 1909 either. A quick Google search revealed that:

It marks the site of what was almost certainly Britain’s earliest dedicated airfield. ... [But] Fambridge proved a failure, except as a bog. The rickety flying machines, far from heading into the skies, tended to get mired down in the Essex mud.

http://www.echo-news.co.uk/echofeatures/memories/4100526.How_flying_machines_began_life_in_Essex_village/
And just down the road the claim for the control and rule of England was settled by a battle which took place at Ashingdon in 1016 AD, when Canute fought Edmund and won both the battle and soon after, secured the Kingdom of all England including the Saxon Wessex and their territories.

All that from taking a right turn and exploring a little.

And enjoyable? Any time spent riding a bike is enjoyable, no matter what.

Health and Fitness Benefits of Cycling

The following article is courtsey of NHS Choices

Cycling is the third most popular sport in the UK with an estimated 3.1 million people riding a bike each month.

The number of cyclists in London has increased by 91% since 2000, according to Transport for London (TFL).

As a form of exercise, cycling has broad appeal. From toddler to pensioner, able-bodied or disabled, practically everyone can enjoy cycling, provided they have the right equipment. The Everyday Cycling website has advice for first-time bike buyers (see Useful links).

Cycling is one of the easiest ways to fit exercise into your daily routine as it can double up as a form of transport. That means it saves you money, gets you fit and contributes to a cleaner environment.

It's a low-impact exercise and therefore easier on your joints than running or other high-impact aerobic activities, but still helps you get into shape.

For example, someone weighing 80kg (12.6 stones) will burn off more than 650 calories with an hour’s riding as well as tone their legs and bottom. If you go up hills or off-road, you'll also work your upper body.

The best way to build your cardiovascular fitness on the bike is to consistently ride twice during the week and then do a longer ride at the weekend. You will soon feel the benefits.

Cycling calendar

The Everyday Cycling website (see Useful links) is aimed at recreational cyclists. It has help and hints on everything you need to enjoy cycling whether you’re a commuter, mountain biker, mega-fit road rider or cycling for the first time.

The site includes a national leisure cycling calendar listing everything from charity events to multi-day challenges, and advice on training, maintenance and improving fitness.

It also has suggested routes for you to ride in your area and a function where you can map where you've ridden, log the miles you've travelled and rank yourself against other riders.

To take your cycling one step further, you could join a club in your area where you can go on organised bike rides. To find a club, visit the British Cycling website (see Useful links).

If you want to turn your hobby into something a little more competitive, there are around 2,500 races registered with British Cycling, the sport's governing body, each year. There are all sorts of different bike races including BMX, cycle speedway, cyclo-cross, mountain bike news, road and track.

Visit the events section on the British Cycling website to find a race near you to either watch or take part in.

Kit checklist

Wearing a cycling helmet will significantly reduce your risk of serious head injury in the event of an accident. For a proper fit, the helmet should fit snugly and shouldn’t allow any sideways movement.

Before you head out on your bike, it’s important for you to check you have the right kit, and that your bike is in good working order.

Make sure your tyres are pumped up and test out your brakes before you get on to the road.

Check that your saddle should be at the correct riding position for your height. If your saddle is too low, it will make it more difficult for you to pedal and you’ll tire quicker.

To get the right height, adjust the saddle until you can stretch your leg out and comfortably place the ball of your foot on the ground. This means that when your pedal is at its lowest position, your leg should be slightly bent.

If your leg is completely straight when your pedal is at the lowest position, your saddle is probably too high.

If you’re cycling after dark, it’s important to make sure you can be seen by other road users. Wear reflective clothing and make sure the lights on the front and back of your bike are both in working order. You should also use your lights when the visibility is low, such as in bad weather.

For expert advice on cycling equipment and correct riding position speak to the staff at your local bike shop.

Orchid Cycle Ride

So how did the Orchid Cycle Ride go? Absolutely fantastic. It was one of the best rides of the year and, thanks to the weather, so much better than the Essex Countryside ride. I did though opt for the 40 mile rather than 75 mile course.



It was one of those days when everything seemed to come together. The training had delivered what I wanted it to deliver. It was a gloriously sunny day right from the kick-off. I wasn’t late for the start which meant no hassle, and the marshalling on the route was second to none – well apart from one small hic-sup which I’ll come back to later. The new pedals seemed to work a treat with no falling over due to note being able to get my feet out – although there was one close call. They definitely made a difference and I was able to climb hills easier.

The first few miles of the course saw a policeman at every junction stopping traffic for us, and once we were underway, there was someone at every road junction telling us which way to go.

However, confusion reigned at one point when our route coincided with a cycle race (bet they were pleased!). The problem arose when one set of marshals from the bike race didn’t realise we weren’t part of the race and so pointed for us to turn left when we should have gone straight on. Very luckily for me, the person I was riding with at the time knew the area well and realised we were off course. So we retraced our footsteps and got back on the right course only having done an extra couple of miles or so.

There was also one of those curious coincidences (or synchronicities) that I love so much. At one point, there was a pair of riders in front of me with rider numbers of 52 and 53. Mine was 51 so as I passed them we read 51, 52, 53 from left to right. It couldn’t have planned better could it?

Tatia and Seraphina came along to this one to offer their support and gave me a resounding cheer when the starting gun went off. But, alas, the support was soon forgotten as when I arrived back, the bouncy castle had been inflated and that was much more fun then cheering Daddy back :-)

The time was not as good as I had hoped: 38.8 miles in 2 hours 47 minutes (an average of 13.9 mph). Must try and do better on the London to Southend ride.

Orchid 40 mile ride 2009

Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

Click on map title to enlarge

New Pedals

I have always been quite happy with my old style toe clip pedals. Yes it’s true that they may not be the latest thing, but then I have heard so many tales of people falling over because they can’t unclip their feet from clipless pedals (a bit of an anomaly there as you clip into clipless pedals) that I have always decided against them. Well up until now that is. I have to admit I have been wondering if they could improve my performance as it is claimed they can do but someone started a discussion about pedals on a forum I go to now and again. And then there came this post:

“Using toe straps is an invitation for people who work in bike shops to patronise and humiliate you.”

Followd by

“Unless you have a beard and a urine stain on your baggy shorts when they will understand.”
So that was it, off to the bike shop today to buy a pair of clipless pedals. I am doing a sponsored ride tomorrow so will write about how many times I fall off because I can’t get my feet out!

So, what are clipless pedals? * clears throat while everyone logs off *

Clipless pedal systems are an improvement over the toe clip and strap in many ways, comfort, safety and speed to name a few. Comfort was improved as there is no need for a strap holding the foot in place, therefore bloodflow is not affected and constant strap adjustment is no longer required. Safety is improved as the need to reach up and down to adjust straps when starting and stopping is no longer required, you simply twist the foot to disengage the pedal when approaching your stopping point whilst still holding the bars with both hands. Setting off is the reverse, just push down on the pedal and you are clipped in, all the time keeping both hands on the bars and your eyes on the road. Speed is also improved as you clip in and forget, no straps to tighten or adjust. Built into most clipless pedal systems is a technology called float, float is the amount of degrees your foot can move from side to side when clipped into the pedal, this float is essential as it allows the knee to move naturally during the pedalling motion. Most pedals will have different cleats available or adjustable float to adapt the amount of movement.

Together we raised £786

Every so often, something happens that takes my breath away. The fantastic generosity of those who sponsored me for the Essex Countryside Bike Ride is one of those things. Together we raised a fantastic total of £630 to which the tax man gave a further £156 through gift aid bringing the total to a staggering £786 for Little Havens Children’s Hospice.

As for the ride itself, I was up with the sparrows at six in the morning as the ride was due to start at 7.30. A quick shower and it was time to eat my way through a large bowl of yummy porridge. I checked the weather forecast for the 100th time to see what I might be in for – possible light showers at 10 a.m. and strong winds from the south with gusts at 30 mph. Ok so it look like I’ll get a bit wet but I should dry out ok. Not happy about the wind though – boy did that ever turn out to be an understatement!

As is often the way, I messed about with my bike and ending up leaving the house later than intended, realised I had forgotten something, returned home and ended up 30 minutes late for the start. Still I wasn’t the only one as quite a few people were still there and others were still arriving - the start time was between 7.30 and 9.00. And at least this meant there was no queue to register.

And so I was off.

It was a bright and sunny start, if a little cold – arm warmers were the right decision. As usual I allowed the first 10 minutes for warming up as I got into my stride. There was quite a nasty hill before I was fully warmed-up but I coped with it ok and was happily passing other cyclists (I thought I had better make the most of it while I could). Once the route had turned off from the main roads and headed into what the name of the ride promised, the Essex Countryside, this really looked like it was going to be a great ride.

Essex Countryside Ride 2009

http://www.bikely.com/

The Route

I caught up with a pack of about 10 others who seemed to be travelling at roughly the same speed and joined up with them. Not just pack instinct - it is actually much easier riding in a bunch like that and has the added advantage of giving me someone to talk too. Mind you, there was a moment when I was totally unsure of the correct etiquette, when I noticed the seam in the back of the lycra shorts of a woman I was riding behind was starting to spilt. Should I say anything or not? Deciding silence was the better part of valour I said nothing. Later Tatia confirmed this had been a good call. “Was there anything she could do about?” “No.” “Then there is no way you should say anything. It would have embarrassed the hell out of her and she had 40 more miles to ride”.

Finally the pack and I went our separate ways when I decided that I really shouldn’t pull out in from of a car just to keep with them. Still that was only about 5 miles short of a refreshment stop at the Jolly Sailor pub in Malden where I saw some of them again so I would have split up with them there – did I mention that once into a ride I have this insane drive to keep going and not have a break?

Up to that point I had been making really good time. A third of the way through the ride and my speed was an average 16 mph which I was very pleased with to say the least.

And then the fun started.

For the next 3 miles it was one long up-hill slog. It may not look much on the elevation profile, and a 2% gradient doesn’t sound like much at all (and probably isn’t to be honest) but I find a long steady climb like that is draining beyond belief – especially as I hate hills with a vengeance. Coming to the top of a hill, or rounding a bend, only to see yet another climb waiting is just so demoralising. But then, wheeeeeee, what goes up must come down, and 30 mph on a bike has to be experienced to be believed (I might have been able to increase that but was too knackered by this point and took advantage of having a rest)



And then the fun really started. Going around the outskirts of Chelmsford was something of a joke. The route went off road, across a footbridge so narrow that I had to dismount and push my biker, and then went across unsurfaced car parks and round the back of shopping centres and multi-storey car parks.

And just when I thought it couldn’t get much worse, the rain started. And it wasn’t the light shower as forecast. It was a torrential downpour that lasted at least an hour. So at the end of 35 miles, I was cold, wet, tired and started to feeling demoralised. Oh and wishing now that I had brought my water-proof with me. But if wishes were fishes...

And then finally, just when I thought I had enough, the route turned south and into those promised 30 mph winds (although I noticed afterwards tha they had only been recorded at 18.4 mph). Riding into a head-wind and rain when already cold and wet and I was soon ready to give up. I think if there was someway I could have given up I would have. But there wasn’t, so I didn’t.

The rest, as they say is history, as from that point on it was head down and grind. I remember one point, about 5 miles from the finish, I had to stop at traffic lights and, not feeling up to doing a track stand, I put my foot to the floor, only to feel that my leg had turned to jelly and could hardly support me!

Still, finish I did, and very proud of myself I was for doing so. It was not the fantastic time I had thought it would be at that 20 mile point in Malden. But still, I did finish in 4 hours 38 minutes and averaged 13.3 mph which was a miniscule bit faster than last year’s 13.2 mph. And it was 61.7 miles against the advertised 60.

So now it is decision time. Do I do the 40 mile or 75 mile route when I do the Orchid Cycle Essex ride on 14 June. I really can’t say at the moment, but I do know if the weather forecast is for rain or wind, it will be 40 miles without a shadow of a doubt.

Orchid Ride 2008

And will I do the Essex Countryside Ride next year? At the end of this year’s ride it would have been a firm no-way. But now? Yeah, I probably will!

The full stats

Reinventing the wheel:

I don't think I'd like to ride too many miles on this!


From The Metro: http://tinyurl.com/rdzlr6

It looks like something out of The Flintstones but this unusual bike could help you lose weight and get into shape.

The cycle, which features a pentagonal wheel at the front and a triangular one at the back, is designed to boost fitness by making it harder to ride.

'I just wanted to give people an alternative to normal, boring bikes,' said inventor Guan Baihua.

'There are too many identical mass-manufactured things. More and more, people like weird and rarely seen stuff.'

The retired army general from Qingdao in eastern China spent 18 months working on the contraption. But it could be a rocky road to success for the 50-year-old after a journalist gave his invention a trial ride.

He reported that it was 'not as bumpy as it looks' but added: 'It needs special skills, otherwise it's hard to balance.'

Great fun video

A great fun video. Wish it had happend to me as that would be about the only I will ever win a race!

Heavy Rain and Wind, oh dear

Sunday's weather forecast is not good. Cold, wet and windy!

New 26 mile PB

I wasn’t sure what sort of ride to do today as I have been concentrating mainly on increasing distances in the run up to the Essex Countryside ride.

So I decided to go for a new personal best over 26 miles. The weather was good, with not too much wind and the roads fairly quite which all helped me beat me best time over 26 miles quite substantially. I beat my previous personal best of 1:45:23 (average 15.5 mph) by 1 minute 22 seconds and achieved a new personal best of 1:44:01 (15.7 mph). I also beat the virtual partner on my Garmin by just over 1 and a half miles. The virtual partner is a device on Garmin which is a download of a course I have already done and can then race myself against.




Today I went on a leisurely recovery ride along the sea-front – of just over 16 miles. And it really was an enjoyable ride. It was a sunny, refreshing Sunday morning with scores of people out cycling, jogging, walking or going for breakfast in one of the sea-front cafes. A really ‘good to be alive’ feeling.

Southend sea-front

http://www.bikely.com/

All in all, I am feeling pretty good for next Sunday’s 60 mile Essex Countryside ride. So now all that is left is for me to start obsessing about the weather which, according to the forecast looks like it is going to be just about perfect – let’s hope it stays that way.

World Naked Bike Ride London 2009

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Lance Armstrong's bike

Lance Armtrong has published a photograph of the bike he will riding in the Giro d'Italia (the race it is strong suggested he wants to win). People are saying how amazing it looks but I'm sorry, I really have to disagree. To me it looks like some crazy, overdone, biker tattoo. But then what do I know as I am sure many others will love it

Sponsorship for children's hospice

On the 17th May, I am cycling 60 miles to raise money for the Little Havens Children's Hospice.

Little Havens Children's Hospice provides respite breaks, symptom control and end-of-life care for youngsters living with serious conditions and who are not expected to reach adulthood. It aims to make their journey - and that of the family - as comfortable as possible, creating special memories along the way. The love and care provided by the Care Team in the homely surroundings at Little Havens is as special and unique as the child. This could not continue without kind donations as it costs £2.3 million each year to keep the hospice open.

If you would be kind enogh to sposor me, please go here http://www.justgiving.com/tonysingleton

I am terrible about finding time to collect sponsorship money after events so have set-up a fundraising page with Justgiving.com. Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Little Havens Children's Hospice gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

Thank you very much for sponsoring me

Weather puts off female cyclists

Probably not exactly earth shattering findings!

More than a fifth of women in London choose not to cycle because of the weather, a survey has shown.

The poll by sustainable transport charity Sustrans showed 22% of women cited the poor climate as a reason they did not regularly use a bicycle.

About 10% said they were not fit enough to ride a bike and even though more than half had access to a bike, only 7% cycled more than once a month.

Sustrans has launched a website to help get more women cycling.

Sustrans' Holly Bruford said: "With many women spending vast amounts of money trying to lose weight, it seems we are still rejecting the cheapest, most efficient way of reaching target weight and shaping up - cycling."

Sustrans hopes its website www.bikebelles.org.uk will "redress the cycling gender imbalance" - as men are three times more likely to cycle than women in London.

Tour is a go for Armstrong - good news indeed

Tour is a go for Armstrong

By Cyclingnews.com

Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong will not face disciplinary proceedings from the French anti-doping agency AFLD.

The AFLD said Friday that it has "decided to take into consideration the athlete's written explanations and, in consequence, not to open a disciplinary procedure against him." It also confirmed that no abnormalities were detected in the urine, blood and hair samples taken during the control.

Armstrong's Astana team spokesman Philippe Maertens confirmed to Cyclingnews that the AFLD met Thursday, and said "the disciplinary commission checked the evidence and explanation from both Lance and the tester and decided not to take the matter further."
Posting on his Twitter account, Armstrong wrote: "the word from the French agency AFLD on the shower gate incident. Case closed, no penalty, all samples clean. Onward."
The AFLD had previously said that Armstrong did not obey the rules of the World Anti-Doping Agency's International Standard of Testing, specifically Article 5.4.1, which states that 'the person being subjected to an anti-doping control must remain within the sight of the doping control officer from the time of notification until the sample is collected'.
Armstrong could have faced a suspension from the incident which may have prevented him from racing the Tour de France. With the case closed, he will be free to attempt an eighth career victory in the Tour.

Armstrong is currently training in Aspen, Colorado, in preparation for his first attempt at the Giro d'Italia next month. He is recovering from a fractured collarbone that he sustained in the first stage of the Vuelta a Castilla y Léon.

Inspired Urban Cycling

Not that I would recommend getting round town like this, but this guy does some incredible stuff. It's a video of/by Inspired Bicycles - Danny MacAskill. Wonder how many broken bones he got learning this stuff.

Riding a bike is everything to a cyclist

“Riding a bike is everything to a cyclist. The friendship and camaraderie you have with other cyclists …to a cyclist, it was the be-all and end-all of your life.”

Tommy Godwin, double bronze medal winner in the 1,000m time trial and the team pursuit in the 1948 Olympics in London

Another fine half century

What a wonderful day it was today. I set out with the good intention of doing four training laps (54 miles or 87km – I’m going to start quoting km as it sounds further) and did it fairly easily – even I do say so myself. The only real problem was the sit bones which were pretty painful and put me off trying for a record fifth lap. The roads were fairly quite which I put down to the weather – it was very misty with a damp chill in the air. Not the sort of day you want to take the kids out anywhere. Which is fine by me . Mind you, I only saw one other bike rider which is quite unusual – that’s ignoring the families out on the cycle lane along the sea front.

I thought I might have to abandon on the third lap though as I was having problems with my left hand (or is that foot) pedal when it suddenly froze, nearly taking my foot off with it and me off of my bike. Being about 7 miles into the training loop I had little choice other than to keep going. I was though, starting to feel very disappointed at what seemed to be an inevitable early shower and kissing the fourth lap goodbye. Next the pedal started making a period crunching and squealing noise of metal against metal. Finally, the crunching and squealing noises stopped altogether and the pedal started to work fine again. I can only imagine what the bearings must be like and so will give it a service before I go out again.

As a brief aside, I came across this bizarre video which was produced in 1963 and is about bike safety. It actually starts to get pretty creepy and goodness knows why the producuers gave the kids they faces they did – sort of demented monkeys that wouldn’t look out of place in the Wizard of Oz. You can find it here: http://www.fazed.org/video/view/?id=229

Today’s stats

A bicycle made for one and a half

Seri and I used her trailer bike for the first time today. “What is a trailer bike?” I hear you ask. It’s one of these:

Bascially a small bike attached to my hybrid bike turning into a sort of a tandem.

We were a little wobbly at first but soon got the hang of it. I was surprised that Seri went as far as she did and we must have covered eight miles all in all. But then she doesn’t have to peddle if she doesn’t want to! Or maybe it was the bribe of an ice-cream that kept her going. Still, if she continue to like riding like this, then maybe we’ll do the Southend Bikeathon together.

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!