Shock horror .. almost a first .. I did a ride last night but not with the Pedallers. The last time I remember doing that was when Andy and I managed to get out early to avoid forecasted heavy showers only to pass the Pedallers coming the other way ascending Quarry Lane! - were we less bothered by rain back then?
Last night was down to a culmination of reasons .. I picked up a stubborn chest cold following my Portland epic and running on what feels like 50% lung capacity is like puffing up a hill in a car without an exhaust pipe; our last few rides have been quick and being constantly spat out the back has my inner chimp in disarray, I need to work on getting my mojo back; and finally, the glorious weather has encouraged me to get in an early evening ride these last few weeks and that feeling of getting home in the light and still having an evening to enjoy is hard to beat. So, my thinking was, if I would be spluttering and riding out back alone anyway, I may as well get out and do an early solo circuit without the pressure of trying to keep up.
I thought it would be a repeat of my last ride and I’d meet Pedallers’ peloton perhaps on my homeward ‘sprint’ along the Axe Estuary straight, alas no, we must have missed by a matter of minutes, as I see all had a good 25+ mile ride out to Hawkchurch via Axmouth, Trinity Hill and back through Axminster, Kilmington and Musbury, and looking at the Strava logs, a bag full of PRs for all too.
I completed a gentle 20 mile circuit which I’ve become quite fond of recently, mainly because of the road quality, both smooth surface so as not to buckle my wheels and wide enough not to have to pull over for cars, and also because I can ride it without thinking of where it is I’m going. Those who know of my poor sense of direction, will know I have a memory of a gold fish when it comes to remembering routes .. nice castle … nice castle .. nice castle ..!
Anyway, having enjoyed beautiful sunshine for the first 15 miles what a surprise greeted me as I hit the Axe Estuary. Thick fog! My bare legs and Garmin also registered a 4 degree drop in temperature. I assume this was just localised sea mist and the Pedallers found themselves climbing into clearer sky as they got up to the heights of Trinity Hill.
Fingers crossed I’ll be back in the fold for next week’s ride, but before that we have the monthly Sunday club ride .. more on that later!
Epilogue: On the stats front, it was actually quite a good ride: 16.9 mph average and a PB on my Seaton Down Hill climb, taking 14s off my May 2014 record, mainly because I had not realised I was still in the big cog!
Showing posts with label PB. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PB. Show all posts
Saturday, 11 April 2015
Sunday, 16 February 2014
Day 350 - SVCC Morning Ride
Next Sunday a group of us from the AVP are doing the Primrose Path Audax, a 100 km non competitive ride across Dorset with 6,400 ft (1,955m) of climbing, but do I feel prepared? .. No, that's a lot of climbing!
I've been working on my hill craft for a good few months and it's not got any easier. This weekend, Andy, Ed and I were hoping to get together for a practice run, but fixing a time was proving difficult for all. Finally, Ed and I thought we'd hook up with the Sid Valley CC for a morning ride out to Exeter .. I last rode with the club back in August in training for the AVP 100 miler, so I found this quite fitting, considering what we've got lined up.
The SVCC had a 40 mile route planned out to Exeter Quays, leaving from the Sidmouth football club at 09:00, returning 13:00. Wanting to add a few extra miles, I thought I'd cycle over from Seaton, just under 10 miles each way and starting with serious climbs at each end. It was a frosty start and I made good time, arriving at the depart 20 minutes ahead of time. The sun, however, was so warm that it was no hardship to wait for Ed and the rest of the riders to arrive.
We made two stops at Tipton Bridge and Tipton Cross to pick up additional riders and then headed north through Rockbeare to Silverton at which point we turned south through Rewe, Stoke Canon, to follow the River Exe into Exeter.
This was quite an epic ride of 62 miles and 4,300 feet of climbing .. so, I am now going to have to say that after this week's rides, I'm now feeling a little more prepared for next week's Primrose Path event .. 85 training miles completed and a whopping 6,600 feet of climbed! Today also saw me achieve new records for the time to complete 50 miles and distance travelled in1 hour: 3hrs 55mins and 16.07 miles respectively.
I've been working on my hill craft for a good few months and it's not got any easier. This weekend, Andy, Ed and I were hoping to get together for a practice run, but fixing a time was proving difficult for all. Finally, Ed and I thought we'd hook up with the Sid Valley CC for a morning ride out to Exeter .. I last rode with the club back in August in training for the AVP 100 miler, so I found this quite fitting, considering what we've got lined up.
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| Waiting in the warmth of the unseasonal sunshine |
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| Ed at our first stop at Tipton Bridge |
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| Regrouping at Silverton before turning south to Exeter |
The level of the Exe was running so high that the extensive cycle way through Exeter was under water resulting in us having to use the busy city road network, the hairiest bit of this being the multi lane roundabouts!
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| Ironbridge Runners were hosting their Exeter half marathon |
On finally reaching the Quay, we could not believe that we'd picked the day when the Ironbridge Runners were hosting their Exeter half marathon and the whole area was buzzing. There was no way we were going to get a table let alone a piece of cake, so we saddled up and headed on to Topsham and Darts Farm where cake is always in good supply.
Caked up, the return route to Sidmouth was through Woodbury and Otterton and across the common and some really wonderful countryside, and two more tough climbs, Peak and Trow Hill.
Sunday, 2 February 2014
Day 336 - Joining the Kask club
In spite of the seemingly non cycling weather we've had recently, the 232 miles covered so far in 2014 have been far better than expected for this 'veteran' pedaller.
Today, I continued in this trend completing another 40 miler with my AVP pals, Andy, Ed, Rex and Richard. The plan was to do a repeat of the proven route Andy, Ed and I cycled two weeks ago. We met at 08:30 at the Seaton TIC and headed out up Castle Hill towards Beer and on to Sidmouth sea front for the obligatory photo shoot. With the seasonal high tide and strong winds, the storm gates were closed, and rightly so, as the waves were spectacularly crashing over the sea wall.
On this ride I was proud to be wearing a new light weight Kask helmet with, of course, the colours Union flag emblazoned across the top. It was a close run decision between this and an the Specialized S-works model, but the red, white and blue motif won my heart. A pose for a shot with Rex, also a Kask owner, was required .. 'Jonathan joins the Kask klub' !
In all, I achieved 15 Strava segment PRs and for the second time in as many weeks, broke my previous record for miles ridden in 1 hour (15.94 miles). It is amazing what one can do when pushed!
Today, I continued in this trend completing another 40 miler with my AVP pals, Andy, Ed, Rex and Richard. The plan was to do a repeat of the proven route Andy, Ed and I cycled two weeks ago. We met at 08:30 at the Seaton TIC and headed out up Castle Hill towards Beer and on to Sidmouth sea front for the obligatory photo shoot. With the seasonal high tide and strong winds, the storm gates were closed, and rightly so, as the waves were spectacularly crashing over the sea wall.
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| Richard, Andy, Jonathan & Ed |
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| Take 5 on Sidmouth sea front |
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| Jonathan joins the Kask klub |
From Sidmouth we climbed via Tipton St John through Ottery St Mary and on to our tea and cake stop in Honiton. From Honiton we took Northcote Hill to the junction with the Stockland straight where, I had visualised the closing 10 miles, a gentle down hill return to Seaton. Rex, however, suggested an alternative route, through Stockland, Kilmington and Musbury. No there were no more hills, he said, just a few lumpy bits. I see a need to define a hill v a lump .. as my legs were not prepared for the climbing which followed, particularly not after my all time best ride up Northcote, on which I had secured PRs for 5 of the 6 Strava segments for this climb!
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| Ride profile |
Although exhausting, it is often good to be challenged. Richard and Rex noticeably drove up the pace, and while I wished I had the engine to keep up with the pace set, I have to constantly remind myself of what I was doing only a year ago, when I would never in my wildest dreams have considered it even possible to cycle 40 miles in a morning! I've just got to keep at it, drive through the pain and hopefully this training will see me right for the Dartmoor Classic sportif I have in June, a 100 mile ride which after today's experience, is seeming ever more daunting!
In all, I achieved 15 Strava segment PRs and for the second time in as many weeks, broke my previous record for miles ridden in 1 hour (15.94 miles). It is amazing what one can do when pushed!
Thursday, 30 January 2014
Day 333 - Bit of a Drag
Thursday and another ride out with the AVP. I can't believe how much I am enjoying this night riding but can't deny that I am really looking forward to the return of summer, this period of dark and dampness is getting to be a bit of a drag.
Meeting up at the usual time, usual place - 6:30 at the Kings Arms - it was great to see the usual suspects gathering for tonights ride. After last week, getting dropped on my Crosstrail during the final run in from Musbury, I was pleased to see the return of Barry, fellow night time hybrid rider, who would be able to join me at the back of the peloton. We have a challenging time out there mixing it with the road bikes but it's all good training! Tonight was also going to be Kilian's last AVP ride as he returns home to Germany at the weekend. Kilian's first ride with us was back in September when he joined us at the last minute as a guest on our 100 miler, riding of all things a mountain bike! He'd have no trouble on a hybrid, but that's what 30+ years does for you .. my excuse anyway!
Jolly struck the route which would take the 12 of us out via Farway to Offwell and back through Colyton. It was a a good circuit, relatively free of traffic, bar the meeting of a tanker down one narrow lane requiring all to take to a water filled tractor furrow. The 1,500 feet of climb was challenging but not excessive and the down hill runs were, in reward, fast and thrilling. We are noticing the temperature falling a little more now, as I heard mention of 'ice cream sandwich headaches' on more than one occasion. So extra warm headgear and gloves are now definitely de rigueur for the winter night rider.
The run out tonight was my quickest yet on the hybrid, with a new one hour and 20km record achieved and a PR on the 1 mile 'Bit of a Drag' Strava segment, albeit almost a minute off the pace of the road bikes, so a revisit on the Roubaix will be required.
Again, a dry and incident free ride brought us home to the Kings Arms ahead of the Mountain bikers and in good time for some quality après-cycing chat, beer and chips. Another perfect 20 mile night ride out with the AVP!
Meeting up at the usual time, usual place - 6:30 at the Kings Arms - it was great to see the usual suspects gathering for tonights ride. After last week, getting dropped on my Crosstrail during the final run in from Musbury, I was pleased to see the return of Barry, fellow night time hybrid rider, who would be able to join me at the back of the peloton. We have a challenging time out there mixing it with the road bikes but it's all good training! Tonight was also going to be Kilian's last AVP ride as he returns home to Germany at the weekend. Kilian's first ride with us was back in September when he joined us at the last minute as a guest on our 100 miler, riding of all things a mountain bike! He'd have no trouble on a hybrid, but that's what 30+ years does for you .. my excuse anyway!
Jolly struck the route which would take the 12 of us out via Farway to Offwell and back through Colyton. It was a a good circuit, relatively free of traffic, bar the meeting of a tanker down one narrow lane requiring all to take to a water filled tractor furrow. The 1,500 feet of climb was challenging but not excessive and the down hill runs were, in reward, fast and thrilling. We are noticing the temperature falling a little more now, as I heard mention of 'ice cream sandwich headaches' on more than one occasion. So extra warm headgear and gloves are now definitely de rigueur for the winter night rider.
The run out tonight was my quickest yet on the hybrid, with a new one hour and 20km record achieved and a PR on the 1 mile 'Bit of a Drag' Strava segment, albeit almost a minute off the pace of the road bikes, so a revisit on the Roubaix will be required.
Again, a dry and incident free ride brought us home to the Kings Arms ahead of the Mountain bikers and in good time for some quality après-cycing chat, beer and chips. Another perfect 20 mile night ride out with the AVP!
Saturday, 11 January 2014
Day 314 - A Quick One Before Sunset
Following a relaxing day strolling through Bridport, I felt the need on my return to make best use of the final hour of the rare sunlight we had been enjoying since first light. I decided on a ride out to my new hill climb training ground, Stepps Lane.
With the weather being so perfect, I took the Roubaix, giving the Crosstrail a rest for the day. I've been surprised at how well the Crosstrail has been performing against the Roubaix, which having clocked up 2nd and 3rd fasted climbs on my last outings, the Roubaix had something to prove!
There are 2 main Strava segments on Stepps Lane .. the 3 mile stretch to the A3052 and the steep 10% initial climb. The first I was pleased to achieve my 2nd best time, I had to pull over to let a car pass, but for the second, the main climb, I knocked 40 seconds of my September time to give me a new PR. 40 seconds may not sound much but over a 2/3 mile 10% climb it seems like hours! I also, and surprisingly, achieved another PR on the 2.2 mile Bosshill descent. Surprisingly, because on the fast -9% section, I was on the brakes trying to avoid the shingle which had been deposited in the recent flooding and which was threatening to slide me off the road and into the hedgerow!
From Boshill, I rode through Colyford and returned to Seaton via Harepath Lane. With still some daylight remaining, I decided on a ride down to the beach where the light over the sea and the sight of the sun beginning to set, was truly wonderful. It is hard to believe that tomorrow will bring rain.
With the weather being so perfect, I took the Roubaix, giving the Crosstrail a rest for the day. I've been surprised at how well the Crosstrail has been performing against the Roubaix, which having clocked up 2nd and 3rd fasted climbs on my last outings, the Roubaix had something to prove!
There are 2 main Strava segments on Stepps Lane .. the 3 mile stretch to the A3052 and the steep 10% initial climb. The first I was pleased to achieve my 2nd best time, I had to pull over to let a car pass, but for the second, the main climb, I knocked 40 seconds of my September time to give me a new PR. 40 seconds may not sound much but over a 2/3 mile 10% climb it seems like hours! I also, and surprisingly, achieved another PR on the 2.2 mile Bosshill descent. Surprisingly, because on the fast -9% section, I was on the brakes trying to avoid the shingle which had been deposited in the recent flooding and which was threatening to slide me off the road and into the hedgerow!
From Boshill, I rode through Colyford and returned to Seaton via Harepath Lane. With still some daylight remaining, I decided on a ride down to the beach where the light over the sea and the sight of the sun beginning to set, was truly wonderful. It is hard to believe that tomorrow will bring rain.
Monday, 30 September 2013
Day 210 - Back to the Routine
It's been a bit of an anticlimax since the 100 miler. Autumn has descended with a bump, shortening the days and bringing with it unpredictable non-cycling weather. I did manage a 20 mile evening ride, between the showers, to Axminster and back with Andy mid week, but it was lucky that we maintained a level of speed which was not only to earn me a new 20 km PB but also get us back before darkness descended. Had it been a Thursday AVP night ride, I'd never have made it back on my low powered commuting lights. As I said back in August, it's time to buy some lights!
The past few weeks have been a real downer, as far as getting out on the bike, after such a great summer building to the high of the 100 mile ride. I have, however, during this spell of bad weather, had both a birthday and a visit to the Cycle Show to raise my spirits. My birthday brought me a quality set of winter cycling gloves and a cap to wear under my helmet. No more frozen fingers or ice cream sandwich headaches for me!
At the Cycle Show at the NEC Birmingham, it was great to see all the new 2014 models, particularly Specialized's new colour ways for my Crosstrail and Roubaix. Had there been more stalls and less exhibition, I could have broken the bank!
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| Beema AS-2000 |
While at the exhibition, I came across the Tour of Britain podium as used on the final stage in London. This was set out with a life size cardboard cutout of Wiggo in his winners gold jersey and the Tour's hostess .. in the flesh .. to have your photo taken with. I didn't.
Back home and now with no excuse not to get out on the bike, having winterized my Crosstrail, fitting mudguards and installing my new 2000 lumen light set, and headed out for an evening circuit to Colyford via my three hills. I have to say that the lights are awesome; with three power settings they illuminates the roadsigns even on the lowest from quite some distance away. An inconsiderate motorist who passed unnecessarily close and at speed got a pulsating maximum lumen blast which lit up the evening sky, I think he got the message! I repeated the circuit again this morning .. I'm gradually easing myself back into the routine and hope to join up with the AVP on Thursday for a night ride although the weather forecast needs to greatly improve if this is to be a reality as I've already proven lycra to be far from waterproof!
Tuesday, 27 August 2013
Day 176 - New Average Speed PB
Back on the Roubaix feeling especially good this morning, that was until I hit the first of my 3 hills on my climbing circuit out to Colyford. The Roubaix definitely takes less energy to move forward but I think I've underestimated the gearing quality of the Crosstrail which makes climbing so easy and down hill rides so quick.
What was pleasing on this ride was beating my previous average speed for any circuit (over 5 miles) of 13.5 mph set on Day134 - 16th July, by 0.6 mph. This stat's relevance over such different circuits is probably questionable but when compared to the last time I ran on this exact route, Day 141 - 23rd July, I can see that my average speed is up 2 mph, taking over 4 minutes of the 7 mile circuit. So while a small improvement, it is certainly a move in the right direction!
Stats: 6.95 mi, 29m 29s, Avg 14.1 mph, Max 32.8, 391 kcal
The Crosstrail has 3 chain rings to the Roubaix's 2, which means that while there is potentially less gear changing to do on the Roubaix, the Crosstrail is more forgiving if you select the wrong gear .. yes I'm still getting used to the Roubaix's gear ratios as I'm tending to go too far through one chain ring before moving up to the next, leaving me either spinning on the pedals or juddering to a halt!
Setting off in such good spirits, I had expected to beat my Seafront Sprint2 Strava record of 21.8 mph .. this is the one that Andy took from me a month or so ago, putting in an impressive 24.4 mph .. but I could only reach an average of 21.5 mph over the half mile run, a difference of just 1 second over the distance. What is more frustrating, is that my quickest time was on the Crosstrail, I think this may be because as there is a down hill start to this segment, its increased weight adding greater forward momentum to launch me into the level straight .. that's my excuse anyway!
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| Seafront Sprint2 |
What was pleasing on this ride was beating my previous average speed for any circuit (over 5 miles) of 13.5 mph set on Day134 - 16th July, by 0.6 mph. This stat's relevance over such different circuits is probably questionable but when compared to the last time I ran on this exact route, Day 141 - 23rd July, I can see that my average speed is up 2 mph, taking over 4 minutes of the 7 mile circuit. So while a small improvement, it is certainly a move in the right direction!
Stats: 6.95 mi, 29m 29s, Avg 14.1 mph, Max 32.8, 391 kcal
Sunday, 25 August 2013
Day 174 - SVCC Morning Ride
Two weeks ago, I spoke of a couple of changes I needed to make in preparation for the Axe Valley Pedaller's 100 mile event in September. The first was to consider moving to a road bike, this I achieved last week, with the purchase of my amazing Specialized Roubaix Sport. The next was to work on getting in a few more miles to test I could get close to the distance, this I made a start on today by joining the Sid Valley Cycle Club (SVCC) on their morning 40 mile ride out to Dunkeswell. My previous best had been a long 25 mile evening ride with the AVP; long, in that we normally complete around 20 miles so as to get back to the pub before closing time!
So it was an early Sunday morning start for me with a short drive out to Sidmouth to meet at the football ground for 9:00 am. I was probably the only one who drove, as a steady procession of cyclists in their colourful lycra and road racing bikes entered the ground. We headed off pretty much bang on 9:00 am as we needed to meet up with others at Tipton Bridge at 9:15. In all, I would say we had at least 20 riders, however, once off Tipton Bridge, I only ever saw a few of our number as the peloton split a number of times to either take high speed or good climbing routes, something I have not been used to with the AVP who stay together from start to finish. As it was, I saw more sheep than cyclists on this ride as on one occasion, riding through Kentisbeare, we had to stop to let a flock pass us by!
Stats: 43.47 mi, 3h:16m, Avg 13.2 mph, Max 40.0, 2,341 kcal
So it was an early Sunday morning start for me with a short drive out to Sidmouth to meet at the football ground for 9:00 am. I was probably the only one who drove, as a steady procession of cyclists in their colourful lycra and road racing bikes entered the ground. We headed off pretty much bang on 9:00 am as we needed to meet up with others at Tipton Bridge at 9:15. In all, I would say we had at least 20 riders, however, once off Tipton Bridge, I only ever saw a few of our number as the peloton split a number of times to either take high speed or good climbing routes, something I have not been used to with the AVP who stay together from start to finish. As it was, I saw more sheep than cyclists on this ride as on one occasion, riding through Kentisbeare, we had to stop to let a flock pass us by!
The 29 mile ride out to Dunkeswell, the site of a small airfield first created for the US Navy in WW2, had only a few long but gentle climbing hills so I found breaking my 25 mile milestone a relatively easy achievement. After enjoying a much needed coffee and large slice of carrot cake at the airfield's cafe, I joined the remaining 6 cyclists on the homeward journey, the remainder having long since moved on, their route to the airfield actually being 9 miles shorter. I was not bitter, it was miles I was interested in clocking up, I've had loads of practice climbing my local hills!
Talking of hills, I had thought that the 15 mile return ride would again be light on climbs, indeed the expectation was that as we headed towards the sea, the road would be predominately down hill, I had forgotten, however, about the painful climb out of Honiton to Sidford which after 35 miles in the saddle was a real test of my stamina!
Overall, this was a great ride with 43 miles covered. I have a mountain bike ride planned for next weekend, but all being well, I can see me joining the SVCC on another morning ride very soon, if not that following weekend. Thankfully, my wife is being very supportive of me and my new found cycling interest as I can see that my time away, spent out on the road is starting to lengthen .. I am very grateful for this!
Stats: 43.47 mi, 3h:16m, Avg 13.2 mph, Max 40.0, 2,341 kcal
Sunday, 4 August 2013
Day 153 - Time Machine
On the day that 20,000 cyclists take to the streets of London and the hills of Surrey, I've concluded my week's cycling with a new personal weekly best of 83 miles. Frustratingly just 17 shy of today's London-Surrey route and definitely a target I now have in my sights to achieve over the next few weeks. While I often find there is more left in the tank, I find time is an issue; fitting in even the 7 hours I've spent in the saddle this week has been a challenge.
I've jumped a few days since my last blog, again finding time to to either cycle or write has been the challenge, naturally, cycling won that battle. Friday saw me use the bike on a short 2.5 mile circuit to meet up with the Seaton Hole gang for a quick bite for lunch down at the Cliffside Cabin; a much quieter venue since Old Beer Road was lost to the sea during last year's heavy rains closing this section of the coastal path.
Contrary to the weather forecast, Saturday morning was gloriously sunny, but severely aching limbs from a week of hills made me think twice about taking a ride out. I also had a busy schedule ahead and little time to cycle. Oh, what I could do with a time machine! A small window of opportunity did come available later in the day for a sneaky 9 mile circuit. Avoiding all but the final climb up Castle Hill, for the sake of my limbs, I kept to level ground where possible and rode a very enjoyable circuit to Colyton and back.
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| Friday lunch at the Cliffside Cabin |
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| Old Beer Road lost to the sea during last year's heavy rains |
Contrary to the weather forecast, Saturday morning was gloriously sunny, but severely aching limbs from a week of hills made me think twice about taking a ride out. I also had a busy schedule ahead and little time to cycle. Oh, what I could do with a time machine! A small window of opportunity did come available later in the day for a sneaky 9 mile circuit. Avoiding all but the final climb up Castle Hill, for the sake of my limbs, I kept to level ground where possible and rode a very enjoyable circuit to Colyton and back.
Stats: 8.95 mi, 43m:27s, Avg 12.4 mph, Max 33.27, 482 kcal
The home run through Axmouth got me thinking about the state of our roads and the current favoured way councils have of repairing them, using a spray of bitumen and a layer of loose gravel chipping. While this may be seen as an economical solution to a never ending problem of keeping our road network free of potholes, it is an absolute nightmare for cyclists. I hear that the resulting rough sandpaper like surface provides a better stopping surface for cars, so yes, use it where stopping is required .. junctions and along side schools, but not along straight country lanes where there are no junctions or obstructions. I have also heard of another reason being that during the summer, this way of resurfacing is preferred to avoid tar being displaced under hot temperatures ... !
I am sure roads were better in the past, but then again I'd need the use of that time machine again to prove this. Funny thing, memories.
Prior to my Saturday ride, I had in my sights my previous weekly distance record of 73 miles and these 9 miles covered yesterday broke this by probably just a few hundred feet. So, waking this morning, and seeing the promised rains had still not appeared, I had to get back out to establish a credible new record. I also recognised that I was tantalisingly close to my 700 mile marker .. but one record at a time, my focus was on smashing the 73 miles. Despite the aches, which had lessened from the previous day but were still sapping my power, and against my better judgement, I took the mile climb up Seaton Down hill with the thought of that long and fast Harepath Hill decent down into Colyford keeping me going. I had learned on my last AVP ride that locking the front shocks greatly improves my climbing ability, less peddle power being absorbed by the shocks allowing all of my effort to be used on the ascent. This definitely helped me make the mile climb and I think maybe even on increasing the speed of my decent, on which for the first time, I broke the 40mph barrier!
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| 40.4 Mph! |
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| Skid Risk! |
The reason for me bringing this up, is that our Devon council has been having a go at resurfacing some of my local roads and after being showered with chipping by an overtaking car doing more than 20mph, it made me think that the skid risk signs on display should be reworded 'Flying Chipping Risk'. I am sure in my youth they used to warn drivers of a risk to shattered windscreens but I guess the modern glass of today has eradicated that issue. Perhaps, therefore, they should say, 'Chipped Paint Risk' as since the removal of lead has certainly meant this is softer and more prone to chips than on cars of old, but I digress. My point is that announcing a skid risk on a surface which is designed to reduce skids is a daft thing to say and that cars may take more notice if there was an announced threat to their bodywork.
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| Road in need of attention |
Moving off the new rough and 'slippy for a bike' surface, I hit the join with the old surface which required me to unlock the front shocks and move into mountain bike mode in order to avoid losing all my fillings! This is like riding over cobbles and I can sympathise with the TDF riders who had several laps of the Arc de Triomphe at speed over covered but very noticeable cobbles. The risk of a snake bite puncture here is high. I see, if I read the writing on the road correctly, that this will be resurfaced in 2014 .. good to know.
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| South Devon to surface from here in 2014 |
Stats: 10.04 mi, 54m:03s, Avg 11.1 mph, Max 40.4, 599 kcal
Thursday, 1 August 2013
Day 150 - Tour de Branscombe
After a few days of technology talk, today I'm getting back to the cycling.
My150th day marks the most miles I've cycled in both one day (30) and one month (242) and I am on target for the most to be completed in one week (73). I am now contemplating whether to take on the challenge of the 100 mile ride that the club is planning for the second week in September, watch this space.
This weekend the Prudential London-Surrey 100 sees 20,000 amateur cyclists converge on the capital for Britain's biggest ever cycling event. They will tackle 100 miles of closed road sportive, from the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park through the Surrey Hills, retracing large parts of the course used in last year's Games, to finish on the Mall. In addition to this, an elite event - including double Tour de France green jersey winner Peter Sagen - will also take place following a similar 140 mile route, ending Britain's 16 year wait for a world class single day road race. I unfortunately - or fortunately not one to appreciate vast crowds - will not be there in person but will certainly be tuning in to watch the BBC's coverage.
Back in Seaton, it was another early rise for me as I was keen to try out my new Garmin GPS unit ahead of the AVP Thursday evening ride. I thought I'd just do a gentle few miles to test it out. As it was, with the milage display clearly visible before me, I could not help but clock up a 'gentle' 10 miles before calling it a morning. The road art could either be the wistful bunny on a skateboard or, as my wife pointed out, a squirrel engaged in a elaborate skateboard stunt ... see his head bottom left with tail and one foot in the air!
Stats: 10.36 mi, 56m 07s, Avg 11.1 mph, max 29.5 mph, 622 kcal
We headed out up hill towards Beer and dropped down into Branscombe before then taking the long climb out past the village's idilic St Winifred's church, that I'd visited at a couple of weeks ago, in the opposite direction. Once out of Branscombe, we crossed the A3052 and via Blackberry Camp dropped down - reaching speeds of 30mph+ along gravel strewn twisty lanes - into Southleigh. The road then levelled out, with the occasional undulation, back through Colyton and Colyford into Seaton. I forwent a beer and plate of chips, the normal post ride fare, in favour of tea and cake - there having been a baking going on at home!
While out in the peloton, there is usually time for a social chat and since joining the AVP group on Strava I felt compelled to share my recent leaderboard victory for the Seafront Sprint2 .. 1st/3 of our small group and 25th/118 overall. On my Crosstrail not built for speed, I'll not go attempting to beat the current 36 mph record, which in a 30 mph built up area, I'm not sure it is even wise to go advertising! But I have added below a picture of myself leading the club's record, before Andy, who currently has most of the other records, realises he's missed mopping up this segment too!
What is interesting and only dawned on me this week, is the reason for the occasional sprint breaks from the peloton that I've seen some of our riders making these past months. This is the fact that along our routes there will be Strava timed segments, such as my Seafront Sprint2, which they are looking to clock a good time for. It's just like the sprint sections on the TDF when riders battle for the Green Jersey points.
Stats: 20.08 mi, 1h:45m:55s , Avg 11.4 mph, Max 31.5, 1174 kcal
My150th day marks the most miles I've cycled in both one day (30) and one month (242) and I am on target for the most to be completed in one week (73). I am now contemplating whether to take on the challenge of the 100 mile ride that the club is planning for the second week in September, watch this space.
This weekend the Prudential London-Surrey 100 sees 20,000 amateur cyclists converge on the capital for Britain's biggest ever cycling event. They will tackle 100 miles of closed road sportive, from the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park through the Surrey Hills, retracing large parts of the course used in last year's Games, to finish on the Mall. In addition to this, an elite event - including double Tour de France green jersey winner Peter Sagen - will also take place following a similar 140 mile route, ending Britain's 16 year wait for a world class single day road race. I unfortunately - or fortunately not one to appreciate vast crowds - will not be there in person but will certainly be tuning in to watch the BBC's coverage.
 |
| Early morning ride down at the seafront |
Back in Seaton, it was another early rise for me as I was keen to try out my new Garmin GPS unit ahead of the AVP Thursday evening ride. I thought I'd just do a gentle few miles to test it out. As it was, with the milage display clearly visible before me, I could not help but clock up a 'gentle' 10 miles before calling it a morning. The road art could either be the wistful bunny on a skateboard or, as my wife pointed out, a squirrel engaged in a elaborate skateboard stunt ... see his head bottom left with tail and one foot in the air!
Stats: 10.36 mi, 56m 07s, Avg 11.1 mph, max 29.5 mph, 622 kcal
Later in the afternoon, I met up with the AVP for our regular Thursday evening ride. Where to tonight? Branscombe including, as seen in the profile below, two category 4 climbs!
We headed out up hill towards Beer and dropped down into Branscombe before then taking the long climb out past the village's idilic St Winifred's church, that I'd visited at a couple of weeks ago, in the opposite direction. Once out of Branscombe, we crossed the A3052 and via Blackberry Camp dropped down - reaching speeds of 30mph+ along gravel strewn twisty lanes - into Southleigh. The road then levelled out, with the occasional undulation, back through Colyton and Colyford into Seaton. I forwent a beer and plate of chips, the normal post ride fare, in favour of tea and cake - there having been a baking going on at home!
While out in the peloton, there is usually time for a social chat and since joining the AVP group on Strava I felt compelled to share my recent leaderboard victory for the Seafront Sprint2 .. 1st/3 of our small group and 25th/118 overall. On my Crosstrail not built for speed, I'll not go attempting to beat the current 36 mph record, which in a 30 mph built up area, I'm not sure it is even wise to go advertising! But I have added below a picture of myself leading the club's record, before Andy, who currently has most of the other records, realises he's missed mopping up this segment too!
What is interesting and only dawned on me this week, is the reason for the occasional sprint breaks from the peloton that I've seen some of our riders making these past months. This is the fact that along our routes there will be Strava timed segments, such as my Seafront Sprint2, which they are looking to clock a good time for. It's just like the sprint sections on the TDF when riders battle for the Green Jersey points.
Stats: 20.08 mi, 1h:45m:55s , Avg 11.4 mph, Max 31.5, 1174 kcal
Friday, 26 July 2013
Day 143 - Stockland Hill
Back in the saddle again for some serious mileage with the APV. 17 cyclists mounted up for a ride to Stockland Hill. As if finding hills along our journey was not enough, we were heading out to climb one. Stockland Hill is the site of the TV Transmitting Station serving East Devon and West Dorset, so not just a little bump in the road!
I'm a little light in cycling news and thoughts to share this week, office work has, for the second week in succession, dominated my waking hours. One muse which I've touched on over these past few months is the suitability of my Specialised Crosstrail Sport hybrid for my AVP circuits. Last night, there were the first mutterings from the group that, compared to their refined road bikes, my hybrid was the most versatile for ground we were covering. Low geared for the hills, rugged frame and suspension for the bumps and thicker tyres for stability over rough and loose shingle. I saw on the TDF that there was one hill that the organisers had to even sweep clean prior to the riders entering. I rest my case. That said, if I'm still this keen next year, I've not quite given up on the idea of acquiring a road bike for my stable, something to keep my my steed company, as a donkey is to a horse!
Back to the Stockland Hill circuit. It was, as expected a tough one but surprisingly, may be because of all the downhill sprints, a quick one with 2 new PBs. Not surprisingly, the peloton split very early into several breakaway groups and there were times when I found my self either out on my own or with another one or two riders. This was a very different ride from those which have gone before.
Stats: 24.01 mi, 1h:48m:24s , Avg 12.2 mph, Max 31.4, 1312 kcal
PBs:
One hour: 14.14 mi
20 km 51m:55s
I'm a little light in cycling news and thoughts to share this week, office work has, for the second week in succession, dominated my waking hours. One muse which I've touched on over these past few months is the suitability of my Specialised Crosstrail Sport hybrid for my AVP circuits. Last night, there were the first mutterings from the group that, compared to their refined road bikes, my hybrid was the most versatile for ground we were covering. Low geared for the hills, rugged frame and suspension for the bumps and thicker tyres for stability over rough and loose shingle. I saw on the TDF that there was one hill that the organisers had to even sweep clean prior to the riders entering. I rest my case. That said, if I'm still this keen next year, I've not quite given up on the idea of acquiring a road bike for my stable, something to keep my my steed company, as a donkey is to a horse!
Back to the Stockland Hill circuit. It was, as expected a tough one but surprisingly, may be because of all the downhill sprints, a quick one with 2 new PBs. Not surprisingly, the peloton split very early into several breakaway groups and there were times when I found my self either out on my own or with another one or two riders. This was a very different ride from those which have gone before.
Stats: 24.01 mi, 1h:48m:24s , Avg 12.2 mph, Max 31.4, 1312 kcal
PBs:
One hour: 14.14 mi 20 km 51m:55sThursday, 18 July 2013
Day 136 - Much Needed Ride
You know those days when work seems to be all consuming and you forget there is another life to live, well today was one of those days. So with 5 minutes to spare, I was pleased to have made the decision that I would drop everything and head out with the AVP for a much needed ride, to clear the head and sweat out the frustrations of a day of business madness, and sweat I did!
The nights may be already drawing in but the temperatures are still the highest we've seen for some years. There were a baker's dozen of us riders who headed out towards Axminster with the first objective of dropping off the baker before continuing on to Hawkchurch. We took the cycle path through Kilminton in the opposite direction to that of last week where milking cows now replaced the young horned bullocks, a much more relaxed ride!
Taking the minor roads from Hawkchurch back to Axmouth the sun became a blood red orange orb low on the horizon and I can see that next week the sun glasses will have to stay at home, as there were times, under the trees, that visibility became close to that of riding out at the dead of night with no lights. That said, is was still a very quick ride with another 3 time and a longest circuit PB recorded.
The only downer on the ride was the attitude of one motorist who displayed a little anger to have to slow to make way for the peloton as we made our way through the lanes. The consensus, however, was that it was being taken by surprise and fear rather than any malice that led to the outburst. The attitude of some to cycling in country is - now that I'm in the other camp - disappointing. I heard on the SE local news this morning, that Surrey is up in arms over the number of road closures for cycling events and in a recent edition of a cycling magazine there was a letter which spoke of a news reporter asking what can cyclists do to prevent being hit by cars, from behind though wearing high-viz clothing and have lights on, not what car drivers do to avoid hitting bikes. I hear that on the continent, learner drivers are taught to open their doors with the opposite hand, i.e. open the right door with left hand. This makes the driver look behind to ensure there is no traffic - e.g. bikes - coming alongside before opening. The success of our cyclists at the London Olympics and in the Tour de France is doing great things for cycling in Britain but we've a long way to go to be as bike friendly as our neighbours across the channel.
Stats: 25.56 mi, 2h:01m:27s , Avg 12.6 mph, Max 27.0, 1346 kcal
Circuit: 25.56 mi
One hour: 13.51 mi
10 mi 37m:47s (5m:14s quicker than my previous PB)
20 km 52m:23
The nights may be already drawing in but the temperatures are still the highest we've seen for some years. There were a baker's dozen of us riders who headed out towards Axminster with the first objective of dropping off the baker before continuing on to Hawkchurch. We took the cycle path through Kilminton in the opposite direction to that of last week where milking cows now replaced the young horned bullocks, a much more relaxed ride!
Taking the minor roads from Hawkchurch back to Axmouth the sun became a blood red orange orb low on the horizon and I can see that next week the sun glasses will have to stay at home, as there were times, under the trees, that visibility became close to that of riding out at the dead of night with no lights. That said, is was still a very quick ride with another 3 time and a longest circuit PB recorded.
The only downer on the ride was the attitude of one motorist who displayed a little anger to have to slow to make way for the peloton as we made our way through the lanes. The consensus, however, was that it was being taken by surprise and fear rather than any malice that led to the outburst. The attitude of some to cycling in country is - now that I'm in the other camp - disappointing. I heard on the SE local news this morning, that Surrey is up in arms over the number of road closures for cycling events and in a recent edition of a cycling magazine there was a letter which spoke of a news reporter asking what can cyclists do to prevent being hit by cars, from behind though wearing high-viz clothing and have lights on, not what car drivers do to avoid hitting bikes. I hear that on the continent, learner drivers are taught to open their doors with the opposite hand, i.e. open the right door with left hand. This makes the driver look behind to ensure there is no traffic - e.g. bikes - coming alongside before opening. The success of our cyclists at the London Olympics and in the Tour de France is doing great things for cycling in Britain but we've a long way to go to be as bike friendly as our neighbours across the channel.
Stats: 25.56 mi, 2h:01m:27s , Avg 12.6 mph, Max 27.0, 1346 kcal
PBs:
Circuit: 25.56 mi One hour: 13.51 mi 10 mi 37m:47s (5m:14s quicker than my previous PB) 20 km 52m:23Tuesday, 16 July 2013
Day 134 - Bike Kitchen
So after a day off the bike yesterday, as hard as it was and in spite of the office work I had piling up, I needed to get back in the saddle. Today was not a long ride but it was an important one as I could so easily have given it a miss and that's a slippery slope!
I hope you've noticed I've finally posted a picture of the summer jersey, just perfect for the heatwave we have at the moment, but not the best colour for hiding chain oil which has already made a showing since I learned the bike performed better with it! Now, I would not normally get that close to an oily chain, but it has come adrift twice in the last few days, something I need to keep an eye on.
Stats: 5.24 mi, 23m:14s , Avg 13.5 mph, Max 25.7 mph, 257 kcal
I hope you've noticed I've finally posted a picture of the summer jersey, just perfect for the heatwave we have at the moment, but not the best colour for hiding chain oil which has already made a showing since I learned the bike performed better with it! Now, I would not normally get that close to an oily chain, but it has come adrift twice in the last few days, something I need to keep an eye on.
Talking of bike bits and mechanics, the inner workings of the bicycle, as simple as it may seem, is not something I am that familiar with. Having spent many of my early years tinkering with cars, I somehow never had the need to get involved in cycle maintenance. As such, one event I dread is getting a puncture, particularly one that would involve unpicking the rear wheel gear and chain assembly. I noticed, reading a copy of Cycling Weekly the other day, the opening of the first Bike Kitchen outside California, in London. This is a DIY workshop where you can take care of your own bike with support of professional bike mechanics. What a great way to learn about maintaining and building bikes, I hope the idea spreads throughout the rest of the UK.
Back on my bike, I started this morning's circuit with a relatively flat ride out along Harepath, I was keen to leave any hill to the end and also wanted a change of scenery. After all my talk about a heat waves, it was surprisingly chilly out there .. you just never know what to wear! This was otherwise a very uneventful ride, until the homeward run along Axmouth Road, when inspired by the great sprinters of the TDF, I chased down and passed on another rider! Hardly surprising, therefore, that I achieved a new Avg Speed PB of 13.5 mph for the circuit.
Friday, 12 July 2013
Day 129 - Fast & Furious
Thankfully, although still under a beautiful blue sky, the excessive temperatures of earlier in the week had abated slightly for my evening ride out with the AVP (Axe Valley Pedallers). It was a close run thing that I was going to make it, with a last minute office call delaying my departure but although feeling a little rushed at the starting line, I was feeling in good fitness for what was to come, or so I thought.
One hour: 12.43 mi,
10 mi 43m:0s,
20 km 59m:59s
We were lacking, today, any female riders. Not that our ladies are any less able, it is just that there is more willingness to take things easy when they join the peloton. Also, there were a number of new, younger faces making up the 12 cyclists which, lowering the average age, tends to increase the speed and it did! We rode out to Colyford along one of my well worn routes and up hill in the direction of Lyme Regis, turning almost immediately off the A3052 towards Uplyme. It is amazing how these guys get to know all these narrow single track roads as I could have been in another country, as we rode I had no way of knowing where we were! After 14 miles of hill after hill cycling, we dropped down into Axminster and took a cycle path out to Kilmington. I may get ribbed for having one of the only hybrids in the group, but for the surfaces we traversed, I can not think of a better machine to have than my Crosstrail Sport. Also for training purposes and for its range of gears, it is the perfect cycle for me. That is not to say that if I'm still into cycling this time next year, that I won't have moved up to a full road bike - the performance some of these guys get out of their machines is very impressive!
After working our way through a field of inquisitive bullocks, with their horns, we made the 4 miles back to Colyford in a quick 15 minutes where I split with the team to return home. On reading my stats, the feeling that it was a fast and furious ride was born out. I achieved another 3 PBs!
Stats: 22.01 mi, 1h:57m:23s , Avg 11.3 mph, Max 33.5, 1301 kcal
PBs:
One hour: 12.43 mi, 10 mi 43m:0s, 20 km 59m:59sSunday, 7 July 2013
Day 125 - King of the Mountains
A little later than planned, after an evening wining and dining with a couple of birthday girls, I stepped out this morning in my cycling gear to be greeted by something I've yet to feel prior to one of my morning circuits .. the heat of the sun! Oh how I need a short sleeved jersey before this mini heat wave passes me by. I've written recently about my mission to acquire an AVP team jersey and to answer The Book Munchkin's question of yesterday, here is where I am with this. Two potential sources were identified on Thursday evening while out with the AVP peloton. Soanes, the local cycle shop, was reconfirmed as a source of last year's top, should they still have stock. The club secretary, having secured a new supplier, has the only other stock .. an XL 2013 design, a little too large for my new svelt figure, but agreed to place an order for more. With a 4-6 week lead time on the 2013 jersey, I called Sloanes. The earlier top, unlike the new version, has a full zip front which I quite like, but they had to disappoint, they had no stock and no more was expected. Oh well, 4-6 weeks will be OK for the Tour of Britain trip that I'm planning but this sun is looking likely to be here at least until the end of the week, so I turned to one of my favorite on-line suppliers, Chain Reaction. They have a Tour de France mega sale on, perfect timing for my immediate jersey needs. In honour of the Tour and the AVP, I procured a yellow short sleeved Funkier top, a proven design with me already having 2 long sleeved versions. Chain Reaction are one of the best suppliers of cycle equipment I've come across, so am confident it will be with me on Tuesday.
Back to this morning's circuit. I've been thinking about where next to take my hill training, now that I've more than conquered my three hills and performed (in my view as King of the Mountains) so well on the last AVP ride. Near me, the single hill of note is our Seaton Down Hill, a mile steep climb which just seems to go on and on. I've been thinking that some time soon this has to be brought into my training plan. So, with the view that there's no time like the present, I headed out up hill, but after a 'thank you' wave to a car who stopped to allow me past, I realised I'd set off without my helmet! The unusually warm morning sun had really thrown me off balance. After a u-turn back to the garage, I thought I'd also check the tyres, I'd meant to give them some more air before my Thursday ride but ran out of time and with a steep drop down into Colyford in plan for this morning, I wanted to make sure that I had the perfect tyre setup to generate a good speed. I did not want any unnecessary rubber in contact with the road to slow me down. Talking of rubber, one thing I noticed on the Thursday evening ride was that I was the only one with a hybrid or, as my fellow pedallers incorrectly categorise my steed, a mountain bike. The big difference between this and their road bikes, apart from the obvious 'ram horn' handlebars, is the wheel size or more specifically, the width of their tyres. They seem to run over the asphalt with nothing more than a layer of dental floss, which against my chubby doughnut rings made me feel like a shire horse against their thoroughbreds! However, as one pointed out, I'm having to work twice as hard as they to cover the same distance which is really what my tour is all about .. a tour de fitness, not speed :)
Helmet in place and floating on air .. my tyres needed quite a bit of air to move them from 50 to the correct 90 psi! .. I returned to the hill. Pleased to make the climb in one go, my fitness is really building, I stopped at the summit to secure my jersey which had been almost removed on the assent, my core temperature having reach meltdown levels. Launching myself, zipped to the chin in Lycra, I pushed over the summit to descend at speed into Colyford. I thought I may have come close to my Lyme Regis down hill PB speed of 33 mph, but could not believe, on my return, to see I'd smashed this reaching 36 mph! I think this PB will take some beating.
Feeling exhilarated, I decided that I was not yet ready to start my return via Axmouth so headed off the main road to bring Colyton into my circuit. Through Colyton, back to Colyford and Axmouth, I returned to Seaton, first checking out that the fisherman's cafe was open on a Sunday morning, more on that next week, and then to take in the glorious view of the marina full of all types of craft. I've misplaced my camera this week, hence the lack of pictures, so you'll have to let your imagination do the rest. Just as everywhere in the world, the Devon coast looks its best on a beautiful sunny day. Leaving the marina, I was flagged down by Handbag, a good new friend from the AVP. At first, to my embarrassment I had him confused with a neighbour of mine. You know those times when your watching a movie where the sound has gone out of sync and the words being spoken don't match the person saying them? Well, that was the moment here when I realised that the person before me was my cycling buddie and not my neighbour! Sorry, Handbag, I'll explain all on Thursday. Once home, I felt I'd done more than the 9 miles actually covered. It certainly makes a difference riding in temperatures above the single digit degrees centigrade that I've become accustomed to, role on Tuesday and my new yellow summer jersey. And finally, talking of Yellow jerseys .. congratulations to Chris Froome who has now started his attack on the Tour de France for real, winning his first leader's jersey of the Tour during yesterday's stage through the Pyrenees.
The route art today is one of my favourites, a seated bunny!
Stats: 9.13 mi, 48m:00s , Avg 11.4 mph, Max 36.3, 532 kcal
Max Speed: 36.3 mph
Back to this morning's circuit. I've been thinking about where next to take my hill training, now that I've more than conquered my three hills and performed (in my view as King of the Mountains) so well on the last AVP ride. Near me, the single hill of note is our Seaton Down Hill, a mile steep climb which just seems to go on and on. I've been thinking that some time soon this has to be brought into my training plan. So, with the view that there's no time like the present, I headed out up hill, but after a 'thank you' wave to a car who stopped to allow me past, I realised I'd set off without my helmet! The unusually warm morning sun had really thrown me off balance. After a u-turn back to the garage, I thought I'd also check the tyres, I'd meant to give them some more air before my Thursday ride but ran out of time and with a steep drop down into Colyford in plan for this morning, I wanted to make sure that I had the perfect tyre setup to generate a good speed. I did not want any unnecessary rubber in contact with the road to slow me down. Talking of rubber, one thing I noticed on the Thursday evening ride was that I was the only one with a hybrid or, as my fellow pedallers incorrectly categorise my steed, a mountain bike. The big difference between this and their road bikes, apart from the obvious 'ram horn' handlebars, is the wheel size or more specifically, the width of their tyres. They seem to run over the asphalt with nothing more than a layer of dental floss, which against my chubby doughnut rings made me feel like a shire horse against their thoroughbreds! However, as one pointed out, I'm having to work twice as hard as they to cover the same distance which is really what my tour is all about .. a tour de fitness, not speed :)
Helmet in place and floating on air .. my tyres needed quite a bit of air to move them from 50 to the correct 90 psi! .. I returned to the hill. Pleased to make the climb in one go, my fitness is really building, I stopped at the summit to secure my jersey which had been almost removed on the assent, my core temperature having reach meltdown levels. Launching myself, zipped to the chin in Lycra, I pushed over the summit to descend at speed into Colyford. I thought I may have come close to my Lyme Regis down hill PB speed of 33 mph, but could not believe, on my return, to see I'd smashed this reaching 36 mph! I think this PB will take some beating.
Feeling exhilarated, I decided that I was not yet ready to start my return via Axmouth so headed off the main road to bring Colyton into my circuit. Through Colyton, back to Colyford and Axmouth, I returned to Seaton, first checking out that the fisherman's cafe was open on a Sunday morning, more on that next week, and then to take in the glorious view of the marina full of all types of craft. I've misplaced my camera this week, hence the lack of pictures, so you'll have to let your imagination do the rest. Just as everywhere in the world, the Devon coast looks its best on a beautiful sunny day. Leaving the marina, I was flagged down by Handbag, a good new friend from the AVP. At first, to my embarrassment I had him confused with a neighbour of mine. You know those times when your watching a movie where the sound has gone out of sync and the words being spoken don't match the person saying them? Well, that was the moment here when I realised that the person before me was my cycling buddie and not my neighbour! Sorry, Handbag, I'll explain all on Thursday. Once home, I felt I'd done more than the 9 miles actually covered. It certainly makes a difference riding in temperatures above the single digit degrees centigrade that I've become accustomed to, role on Tuesday and my new yellow summer jersey. And finally, talking of Yellow jerseys .. congratulations to Chris Froome who has now started his attack on the Tour de France for real, winning his first leader's jersey of the Tour during yesterday's stage through the Pyrenees.
The route art today is one of my favourites, a seated bunny!
Stats: 9.13 mi, 48m:00s , Avg 11.4 mph, Max 36.3, 532 kcal
PB:
Max Speed: 36.3 mph
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