Day 303 - Last Afternoon Ride of 2013

I was pleased, on this the last day of 2013, that the weather cleared sufficiently this afternoon for a quick few circuits of Seaton. Not a long ride but just enough to get the heart pumping and blow the cobwebs away .. the wind was certainly blowing strongly along the estuary and seafront!

On the circuit, I spotted Soanes Cycle shop in Colyton was open and knowing that they stock the one item which was not in my Christmas stocking this year, I thought I'd give them some last minute business. The item I was after was the CO2 tyre pump which Clive first demonstrated on my puncture during the AVP 100 Miler back in September .. I've had my eye out for one ever since.

M:Part Micro CO2 tyre inflator

The version I bought was the M:Part Micro CO2 for £9:00 including 2 x 16 g cartridges, great value for a really useful piece of kit. The great thing about this particular unit, is that they include a handy protective sleeve where many I've checked out do not. These pumps get very very cold after use, cold enough to leave a layer of frost around the metal CO2 cylinder, so protection for the user's hands is essential.

2013 has been a great year for me returning to the saddle back in March after some 20 years. While I've not yet completed a full year's cycling below is a snapshot of 2013's achievements

Here you can see that it was during September that I hit my peak, this was at the time of my first 100 miler, 15 September. Next year I have two 100 mile sportif's planned, the Dartmoor Classic in June and the RideLondon-Surrey in August and I dare say, the AVP will have another to close the season in September. It's going to be an exiting year!

Day 302 - Morning Ride with Chris

After a very stormy night and morning, I finally managed to get a good ride out this afternoon. Having canvassed the usual suspects of cycling buddies, Chris and I delayed setting out by what turned out to be an all important thirty minutes, as the weather took just this short time to turn from a scene in the Perfect Storm to one of a clear sunny winter's afternoon.

Despite strong headwinds and flooded roads we remained dry and enjoyed a much needed spin after a week of partying. The Crosstrail performed well, but the 1000 miles covered since its last service are beginning to show, as the gears slipped a number of times on the steeper climbs.

Once we'd climbed out of Colyton we made good time crossing the common such that I achieved a personal best for 10 miles of 35m:44s which is a 2m:03s improvement on my previous record for the Crosstrail which I achieved back in July. It is great that I can still improvement from time to time .. I've obviously not peaked yet! Today also marked the point in which I've now burned an amazing 100,000 kCals, that's equivalent to 187 burgers!

Day 295 - Extreme Cycling

The day before Christmas Eve, is one I would normally be working, but the combination of my parents being in the area and my new found passion for cycling meant that I had the perfect excuse to take the day off and do both a long ride and some family socialising.

What I had not taken in to account was the unpredictable British weather and in the lead up to this Christmas the forecast was not looking good, indeed, we were being warned of some of the worst storms of the year. That morning we were experiencing excessively strong winds which later in the day would result in removing a couple of ridge tiles from the roof.

Had to take a selfie in memory of the short but manic ride

Despite the impossible conditions, I still had the daft idea of going out for a ride. I could hardly stay upright let alone move in a forward direction and the rain blowing in from the sea was like salty needles against the skin ... what fun! :)

Day 294 - Christmas Lights

My cycling this month has slowed to a crawl and this is before I take on too many calories through over indulgence and feasting that is sure to consume me over the festive season. 21 days into the month and I've been out just 4 times and have covered short of 50 miles, that's only 25% of my average monthly activity. The reason .. shorter days, dark mornings, persistent rain and a job which keeps me in the office when it's dry and light! On Tuesday this week, I was so pleased to finally see the sun that I missed lunch to get out on the Crosstrail for a blast up some hills. I climbed Seaton Down Hill to the tower, dropped down into Colyford, and back up Colyton Hill past Colyton Grammar School and onto Old Sidmouth Road to circle round to Beer before returning to Seaton. The 1100 ft of climbing made me feel a little better anyway.



During Wednesday and Thursday the rain returned. The plan on Thursday was to join the Axe Valley Pedallers for a Christmas Lights ride, a tour of Seaton and Beer to view the best they have to offer in Christmas light displays! I was determined to go, rain or no rain. As luck would have it, the sky miraculously cleared as the sun set and perhaps 10 hardy riders, I did not think to count, met up under a starry night for the final AVP Thursday ride. We were led out by Ketchup and accompanied by a number of our members I'd not seen since summer; I guess there are certain occasions not to be missed. It was a slow ride and I'd not dressed sufficiently well for a ride requiring so little exertion. It is amazing how much heat one generates when exercising and how little clothing is then needed. As we moved out of Seaton into the lanes en route to Beer, I had to hit the climbs hard to raise my core temperature and get some warm blood flowing into my now frozen fingers and toes.

AVP Christmas Lights Ride

The lights, meanwhile, were quite spectacular. It is amazing the amount of work people go to to dress their houses with vivid illuminations, coloured lights, cascading icicles, jolly snowmen and father Christmases. Perhaps the best lights were to be found in Park Road and Clapp's Lane in Beer. It was as if Vegas had come to Devon! After a much needed warm up stop at Quiff & Bar Bunny's, where mulled Cider and home made mice pies were eagerly consumed, we cycled on to close the ride at the Dolphin. I think the locals were a little put out by the arrival of 10-20 lycra clad cyclists, having by then been joined by the muddy off roaders, as it was not long before we had the place to ourselves. It made a change to visit another venue for our apres cycling refreshments, but I did miss the warm welcome of our Seaton and Colyford pubs and the overflowing bowls of complementary cheesy chips !



I am hoping to get another ride or two in before the year closes and although I've not yet completed a full year in the saddle yet, I will probably return in the next week to post a calendar year end report.

In the meantime, I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and leave you with a fun and festive Christmas video from the Team GB Cycling team :)

Day 287 - Would rather be in Mexico or Majorca

Team GB were in Mexico last week and are now training in Majorca. I can see why when I look out of the window at the dismal weekend weather. I need a job that allows me to only be in the office on rainy days!

Team GB take gold and another World Record in Mexico

Day 284 - AVP Evening Drenching

Tonight, Tigger led Chris, CJnr, Rex, Richard, Kilian, Gillain and me on a night ride out to Wilmington and back. We were relishing the opportunity for a ride in the dry, last Thursday's rain having reduced the group to only two riders and further damp weather expected over the weekend.

As we crossed the A35 towards Shute, I commented on how it felt like we were doing the 100 miler in reverse, little did we know then, that just as on September's eventful ride, the second half of tonight's circuit would mirror the 100 miler's return drenching.

Wearing glasses in the rain has always an unpleasant experience, travelling down hill, at speed, in the dark over potholed asphalt is doubly unpleasant and possibly not the safest or most comfortable way to spend the evening. This was, however, how I spent the last 9 miles of our evening ride. With the strength of the wind and rain ever increasing as we rode, our pace built and the usual social stops became less frequent, resulting in me even achieving 2 PBs and a top 10 position on 3 Strava segments!

We were back in Seaton for around 8:30 pm .. an hour earlier than usual and no pub stop tonight as none of us felt like sitting around in damp kit. Hopefully next week will be dry as we have a Christmas lights ride spectacular planned .. looking forward to that! (No pictures this week .. was not carrying waterproof camera).

Day 280 - A Gentle Morning Ride

This has, in contrast to last, been a week of lethargy as far as the cycling is concerned. Dark mornings and too much work has left me less than keen to get out on the bike. Having topped the distance leaderboard these last few weeks I've dared not to look at it this week.

I did, however, venture out on a brisk two hour walk yesterday, only to frustratingly give myself a slight groin injury! This morning, I thus felt compelled to get out and cover a few gentle miles else I feared, the way I was feeling, I'd not get out until spring finally arrived. 

I headed off up Seaton Down Hill turning off down Roman Way before hitting the real climb, afraid of further damaging myself after yesterday's walk. The ride continued into Colyton and back through Axmouth taking in all the little side roads and cul-de-sacs that I'd always wondered about along the way. 

Heading out of Colyton on the back road towards Honiton, I stumbled across a business park and a cycle business I never knew existed, MountainBikeBitz.com. I also took time out to have a look at an old WWII gun emplacement in a field overlooking the Axe River outside of Colyford. On this occasion the cows which normally surround it were elsewhere.

The sunrise over the hills towards Dorset in the distance was beautiful. It was a lovely morning for a ride.

Heading back into Axmouth. I stopped again to take in the view and pose for a few snaps .. these shots look a at though they've come from the new year Sky catalogue! .. perhaps I'll sell then on ;) 

It was then a short ride back home and just under 12 miles covered. Not a long distance based on recent form but it still felt good to be out on the bike again. Need to do better next week.