The Wahoo Elemnt Bolt - Product Review

I'm not known from my product reviews, the last time I came close was this time last year when I penned a few words on SRAM's new eTAP; my first venture into electronic gears and wireless at that. The brave thing about that purchase was that I moved away from Shimano, the market leader in gears, for the innovative competition. Today, I'm going to share a review I just wrote for a GPS device which is not, shock horror, a Garmin.

5 years ago, almost to the day, I purchased my first ever GPS device and ever since, I've been a fan and early adopter of all things Garmin. So for this brand loyal of loyal customers to consider another supplier would ordinarily be unheard of. Having cycled with latest and greatest Garmin 820 for the last 2 or less years, I've become tired of its ever diminishing battery life and a touch screen technology which, you may have read, became totally unusable on a recent soggy sportive. Not unsurprisingly, therefore, for some weeks now, I've been looking at what the competition has to offer.

In a recent article, I saw that the enigmatic Peter Sagan and his Bora Hansgrohe pro cycling team use the Wahoo, as do the impressive line up at team Katusha Alpecin, so this had to be something to check out. Oh yes, the Rapha CC promote it too, so I should probably follow, enough said!

The Wahoo Elemnt Bolt is the closest fit to my existing Garmin 820 and with an unbelievable 15 hour battery life, no touchscreen madness and an irresistible come and get price tag, yes, the deal was done! Another move away from the market leader, to the innovative.

And now for the detailed review .. non prospective buyers can go put the kettle on!

To me, the quality of packaging is is important, and Wahoo's exceeded expectation. Those who may be AppleMac users or buy from Rapha will know that feeling of awe when lifting the lid on a new device or piece of clothing. When I first picked it out of its box, the weight of the Bolt appeared too light to be complete, but in cycling, where weight is not a sign of quality, this was a good first impression. It really does feel noticeably lighter in the hand to that of my Garmin, but just 7 grams according to the specification though I'm not sufficiently bothered to weigh them myself.

Setup was straight forward and configuring via my iPhone quick and simple. It secures to the out front mount in a similar way to the Garmin but the angles are 90 degrees off such that the two devices can not be interchanged. On the bike it looks stealth like as it integrates flush with its mount, giving that aero benefit of 50% reduction in air resistance that the marketing and design gurus talk about, however minor, I need all the marginal gains I can get.

On the road, I love the clear display, particularly the two tone view which enables you to see at a glance one main reading, e.g. Speed or Power. The zoom function, increasing and reducing displayed values is neat too, and saves having to switch screens.

Navigation is clear and precise and saved routes can be uploaded via Ride with GPS without having to connect via cable and load files manually .. a nice feature. While it does not display in colour, probably a key reason for the impressive battery life, the screen size does not really warrant such battery sapping luxury. The neon lights, however are a bit of an oddity; in bright sun they are difficult to see and in darkness a bit distracting, but I'm working with them to see if they provide any value I've yet to understand!

There are many other features, I've yet to discover and probably don't need but so far the buttons have been far more responsive and reliable than touch screen technology and battery life is no longer a nagging worry. Only cons are that there is no route correction while navigating if you go off course, but you can zoom out your map to see where you went wrong and I upload to a number of Strava like tools and there is no interface with Endomondo which means I need to manually do this.

Just as I used to be a Microsoft early adopter and on moving to a AppleMac have never looked back, part of me is wondering if Wahoo could be the new AppleMac to Garmin's Microsoft.

My advice is, give it a go .. you may never go back.

Dartmoor Classic 2018

The Dartmoor Classic holds a special place in my cycling 'career'. It was the first proper sportive, post nephrolithiasis, that I completed back in 2014. I've ridden it once since, back in 2016 and committed last year to return again, probably for the final time, in an attempt to complete my medal haul; bronze in 2014, silver in 2016, thus going for gold in 2018.

I'd signed up Andy, my coach and co rider on my first Classic and Nick, another strong rider from the Coffee Club as my domestiques. The plan was for Nick to pull me along the flats and Andy to pace me up the hills. Things did not however quite go to plan.

Two weeks of wine and cheese in France the week before the ride, meant I would be carrying an additional 0.5 kg up those hills. Nick raised the flag that he too had been off the bike 2 weeks and was below par, and then Andy had to drop from the team! Not the best preparation for what is probably one of the most challenging amateur UK cycling events.

Since returning from France, the weather at home had been as hot as the Mediterranean version I'd  just left. It was looking like we were in for a scorching ride, so I ditched the tool box and added a second water bottle to the bike. As the day got closer, the weather seemed to be looking a little odd for the Sunday in question. A black rain cloud and lightening strike had been added to the day's weather chart! The question of what to wear is hard enough when you know the weather, but this added a complexity that sent me into a flat spin!

On the morning of the ride I awoke early and could have been on the road easily an hour before the agreed 6:30 am pickup time. Nick was, however, half an hour late! I don't do late, so this did not put me in a good place. We arrived at the designated carpark to find no marshals. On previous events I had relied on Andy to know how we got to the start. My sense of direction is pitiful. With no Andy we relied on Google Maps to set us off in the right direction.

Numbers pined on jerseys and timing chips affixed to helmets we made our way to the start. We were led out over a 2 mile stretch of suburbia to the timed start on the edge of Dartmoor. I activated my Garmin computer as we crossed the line and the 4hr 35min countdown, the time required for gold, displayed on my screen. We'd had a few drops of rain but nothing to make us think we should have packed our jackets. The sky looked brooding but we were confident any rain would fall elsewhere. Just a few minutes after entering the Dartmoor National Park, the heavens opened and the taps were not turned off until we exited the park some 4 hours later!

The hills were not too troublesome as we picked our way through dismounted walking riders and navigated the scree strewn gushing river beds which had earlier been smooth sun scorched asphalt. En route a rider had misread the conditions on a steep downhill section through trees and an ambulance now blocked our path as he / she received medical attention. At the Princetown feed station I was keen to push on, the rain had ensured I'd not drank dry my bottles, I had packed enough food for a weekend safari and my legs were feeling almost good, but Nick required a pit stop. This brought back memories of my first Classic where it was I who dithered in the feed zone and ended missing silver by a few minutes

Back in the race, we ground our way over the undulating moorland to the finish at Newton Abbot. The home stretch was fast as Nick called out that his computer reported we may just make that gold time and led the charge for home. My computer had given up some time back when the torrent of rain on the touch screen took away any control over the view I may have wanted to see. It was stuck alternating, at the will of nature, between a map of the moor and some configuration data of absolutely no interest nor use to me, I just wanted to know how much time I had left to secure gold!

Riding into Newton Abbot, the sun came out and the rain ceased. It crossed my mind that may be all was going to be OK after all. We secured our bikes in the parc fermé and trotted gingerly over slippery damp flooring into race HQ for our times ..  the lady behind the computer terminal gave me ecstatic congratulations .. "4hrs 45mins, you've won Silver!" ... I never heard what followed, but I have a memory of her face dropping when I did not react the way I should to receiving my silver medal.  Strava reports my actual ride time as 4hrs 35mins 59 secs .. thus, without the ambulance and feed station delays, I would still have missed gold by 59 secs!

I can now understand how those Olympians feel stood on the second step of the podium. In contrast to the time I won bronze back in 2014,  we took no photos of us proudly wearing our medals, we did not wonder the post ride festival adorned in bling .. we just grabbed a sandwich and sat drip drying on a bench under the warming sun, dreaming of what might have been.

An Update in the eTAP

Getting dangerously close to doing a product review, I thought having been asked by fellow blogger The Book Munchin, that I would do an update on my dramatic move to going wireless!

It's been 3 weeks now since I set to work, in the back of my local cycle shop, stripping out all the Shimano cables, wires etc to replace them with, well, air! Yes, I took the brave leap into the world of SRAM's wireless gear change.

Before I go on to share my experience of this leap into the brave new world of wireless cycling, it won't surprise you to learn, that my evenings are currently devoted to catching up on the goings on of that little cycle race taking place over there in France. Interspaced between the racing and ads, one of the presenters, cycling star Chris Boardman, will take to his bike to share a mountain climb, descent or sprint section and to cover a magazine slot looking at a piece of cycling technology. It was during one of his spins along a sprint finish that I spotted the tell tale battery blister packs on his derailures that could mean only one thing, he was running the same SRAM eTAP as I now have. It surprised me then to hear him say,  in his later magazine pitch about the evolution gears, that he did not see the point of electronic gear change .. until, that is, I let him finish his sentence when he added ".. until SRAM released their eTAP"! Like me, he agreed that getting rid of wires and cumbersome batteries in down tubes was revolutionary. I felt vindicated in making my leap. Since then, I've seen that in addition to Boardman Bikes, many frame manufacturers have quickly taken to adopting eTAP.

The Tarmac eTAP en route to Dartmoor

Anyway, back to my experiences on the Specialized Tarmac, has eTAP lived up to expectation. Well yes and no. Firstly, the not so much: I've had a couple of times when the chain has dropped off the outside of the chainset. To be honest, I think this is just the way things are and it's probably both user error and a some slight adjustment that's still required. My Roubaix does this quite a bit too, but with a bit of quick thinking it's easy enough to get it back on the small ring while keeping the pedals going.

The other disappointment is that it is not 100% silent in all gears, there is still a little chatter in the mid range, particularly on the big ring.

But, on the plus side, there is no chatter either side of this, and in the small ring which I can stay in for much of the time, it's smooth and quiet. Also the move between gears with the flick of a finger is awesome, as too are the glowing gear numbers on my Garmin, letting me know just how many teeth I have left on my gears during a climb, avoiding that embarrassing moment of going for the next gear only to find I'm already there! Yes, I love my SRAM eTAP.

The Venge .. must remember it's not eTAP 

There is one other challenge I've come across. When out on the Venge the other day, it was a blue sky day, so definitely a day for the orange Venge, and it was a Team Time Trial ride, so definitely a day for the aero speed machine. I got on the wheel of my mate in front and then proceeded to forget how to change gear! I got dropped in my failed attempts to shift to the big ring and had to put in a mammoth effort to catch them back up. There's only one answer, I'm going to have to fit eTAB to the rest of my fleet! "Dear Bank Manger ... "

Hottest Ride of the Year

'Twas an epic Coffee Club Ride today in so many ways .. definitely the hottest ride to date, with Andy's Garmin recording 28 degrees in the shade! It was also the longest, as we broke with Coffee Club tradition and headed out to Honiton via Sidmouth on a 50+ mile pedal. We also added in 2 additional feed stops .. ice creams in Sidmouth and coffee in Honiton.

The plan had been to stop at Escott (a superb Country House coffee shop) as it was rumoured Dawn's ladies may have been calling in on their ride; as it was, we arrived just as they were leaving and so agreed to delay our next stop 'till Honiton. It was amazing to see so many ladies out today, the peloton seemed to stretch on for miles!

After Honiton we climbed up to the Stockland 7 mile straight via the Tue TT (Time Trial Club) route and an added narrow hill climb; which it's unlikely I'll ever find again. It was then a dash to the A35 and the most direct routes home for all.

A top ride, incredible weather and proud to see so many Pedallers crisscrossing the Devon lanes today

Rapha 100

On the 23rd July there is, so I have learned this week, the Rapha Women's 100. This event has been run since 2013, coincidentally when I returned to cycling, to inspire women around the world to come together to ride 100 km all on the same day. Why mention this? Well, this weekend, I with 3 cycle club friends, rode the 50 miles out to the Rapha Archive store in Shepton Mallet and back; a ride I had planned earlier this year to coincide with my wife's 'girls weekend' away. Such rides have become something of a tradition, but it has been 2 years since one of these reached the100 mile mark, the last one being my  Portland 100, which I rode with another 3 club mates, through Biblical weather to the Portland Bill lighthouse and back.

There was, however, no altruism in my Rapha 100, indeed when I came up with the idea, I had honestly not even realised that it was 100 miles. It was an idea hatched after visiting my favourite cycling apparel supplier and overhearing that cyclists arriving on 2 wheels may be given a cherished musette bag to carry home any purchases. Yes, we could have parked down the road and rolled in, but that just would not have been cricket!

Rapha 100 at Glastonbury

So, it was with 3 fellow Pedallers, Nick, Mark and Glenn, our Near Naked Man (a male charity thing), that we formed up on Saturday morning to pedal east into Somerset. Our route out took us through the market town of Crewkerne with a very welcomed tailwind. It was here that we made our first coffee stop at the cycling friendly Number 7 the Cafe we'd selected from the very useful Cycling Cafe Network, something which I'll share more on in the future.

Once on Somerset Levels, a very different landscape from our usual undulating Devon lanes, we enjoyed the rarity of being able to chaingang along pleasant straight and level roads. One challenging aspect of this type of cycling, however, is that one has to maintain a steady cadence over quite some distance without the respite of a down hill section; this places quite a different stress on your legs!

Pedalling Through the Rapha Store

We arrived in Shepton Mallet in time for lunch, but not before Nick and I had opportunity to fill musette bags with Rapha goodies! Rapha had its usual array of bubbly assistants keen to talk cycling who welcomed us to stow our bikes securely at the back of the store; what a welcome! After a lengthy shop and lunch, we set out on the return leg. The benefit of a tail wind on the way out was to be our nemesis on the way back, as our tanks were emptied pedalling into a strong headwind for most of the miles back to Axminster. At 75 miles, we had one more welcomed coffee & cake stop, at the Art Tea Zen in Langport, a much welcomed oasis as with the hours moving on, other establishments had long since closed for the weekend.

The final 25 miles were quiet ones, we'd shut down all non-essential communication services to redirect vital energy to our legs! It was a fantastic day spent pedalling across some lovely countryside. The weather was perfect throughout and although 5 miles from home, rain started to fall, even this was greeted with joy, as I was able to pull from my musette bag the newly acquired Rapha rain jacket. As I rolled into to Seaton my Garmin's digital display flickered back 109 miles, my Rapha 100 completed!

AVP does Stage 6 ToB Medio

Clive, directeur sportif for all our club 100 mile events, had drawn up plans this year for a 100mi and 100km ride along this year’s ToB Stage 6 from Sidmouth to Haytor; the Grande and Medio routes. I agreed to lead out the Medio which would complete the ToB route from Sidmouth to Bickleigh and then drop down the west side of Exeter to rejoin the pro tour route at Ide, omitting the third categorised climb of Cadbury Hill and the additional 40 mile westerly loop out to Crediton and Mortonhampstead. As we would actually be starting in Seaton, the full Medio route would be 75mi / 120km.

As I pedalled over to the Seaton start, not being pros we had no tour bus to drop us off at the official Sidmouth depart, I passed Clive leading out his 8 man Grande peloton. In view of our different routes, we had agreed to stagger start times with the Medio leaving 30 minutes later. With hindsight I could have delayed our depart by at least an additional 60 minutes but with memories of the club’s previous 100s, I couldn't help thinking that having contingency was not a bad thing!

Three of the five pedallers who had signed up for the Medio, myself, Geoff (Colyton Post Office) and Glenn (Near Naked Man), lined up for the Seaton depart, we were to meet Barry (Coach Driver) at the Bowd, the start of the race proper, and Ian (The Gaffer) at Honiton after the Chineway Hill climb (sensible plan, Ian!). After a pedal along Sidmouth esplanade and a stop for publicity pictures on the sea front we three headed up to the Bowd to collect Barry and prepare for our first categorised climb, Chineway Hill. Geoff, Glenn and I stuck wheel to wheel as Barry made a successful break to the top of Chineway securing the first set of KOM points. One down 2 to go. Rolling into Honiton we’d agreed to meet Ian at Boston Tea Party hoping to make an impromptu stop for coffee and cake. We had, however, made such good time that Ian was still prepping his machine and had yet to make it across the coffee shop's threshold. Decision made, we’d forgo coffee and have a longer lunch stop at Bickleigh and may be even add Cadbury Hill to our route.

I had thought that from Honiton we’d have a smooth 30 miles to get the yellow train together and bring up our average speed. I had somehow forgotten, though, that small matter of the uncategorised Hembury Hill climb. We did enjoy at least 20 miles of steady pedalling following the climb, so much so that in full TT mode, I steered the peloton almost a mile off course! Luckily Glenn was watching the map on his Garmin closer that I, else we could have ended up in Collumpton and that would have been a totally different ride. Where are the marshals and route markings when you need them?!

Just before Tiverton, I received a text from Clive that the Grande peloton had reached the feed station at Bickleigh, they were now within our crosshairs. We took the tour’s 'detour' off the main drag and through Tiverton town centre for the intermediate sprint. I am sure I was out front at this time so retrospectively claim these points .. I know, as ride leader that’s a bit unfair but it’s got to have its perks.

We rode into Bickleigh Mill just as the Grande were leaving meaning that we now had a very leisurely lunch ahead of us, as they had another 40 miles to cover before we’d be seeing them again in Ide. It was here that we incurred our first delay as Barry’s meal was the last to arrive, but with the weather being dry and warm we were in no rush as we enjoyed a good bit of banter over Barry’s Mr Angry off road coaching experiences and interactions with local celebrities! All too soon our plates were cleared away and it was time to get back on the road.

Having decided that Cadbury Hill could wait for another time, we took the 'non-competitive' route south along the A396 from Bickleigh to Ide. This was relatively busy but a very smooth and quick one following the River Exe into Exeter and west to Ide. The original idea that Clive and I had hatched was for both pelotons to meet up here and pedal on to Haytor together, but our earlier start meant that even with our extended lunch stop they were still a good hour behind us and even, a timely text confirmed, having coffee in Moretonhampstead. We, therefore, pressed on to our 2nd categorised climb at Dunchideock. It was at the base of the climb that Geoff was struck with our first mechanical. His chain had dropped off the small cog and tightly wrapped itself around the frame! It was looking as thought we’d have to actually remove the chainset to free it when pressure placed on the links in the just the right area and sequence started to release the chain from captivity. I had half expected the Grande peloton to come storming around corner as we worked on the upturned bike at the roadside but I think they were still tucking into their teacakes! With Dunchideock done and me bagging the KOM points, we regrouped in Chudleigh ignoring the interim sprint, Dunchideock having taken its toll.

The last 15 miles were perhaps the toughest, as with tired legs full of lunchtime chips, they seemed drag by. Soon we were at the base of the final climb, 4 miles up a 6% average incline Haytor is a brutal way to finish a 75 mile ride. I’ve completed the Dartmoor Classic a couple of times now and have never looked on Haytor as being too bad a climb but now realise why. On the Dartmoor Classic we do not actually do the Haytor climb, we join it less than a mile from the summit just as it is levelling out!

As I reached the first carpark below the rocky summit, I pulled in seeing the yellow of an AVP jersey. It was not, however, our finishing point but that of Geoff with Steve both of whom had formed their own breakaway from the Grande taking the route across the moor from Moretonhampstead to Haytor. Frustratingly and probably destroying any chance of a KOM Strava result, I had to turn around to continue the climb to the official summit half a mile further on. Here one by one I was joined by the rest of the Medio peloton, Barry, Glenn, Ian & Geoff. Our 5 man Medio peloton were well matched and worked really well together, all doing our bit on the front. A great ride, great company and a great time had. The only challenge then was what to do with the remaining 90 minutes before the coach arrived to take us home .. for reference, the Moorlands cafe just over half a mile down the slope serves a very good beer!

AVP Blagdon Hill Descent

I took several 'reels' of film on today's AVP Sunday ride but with a forward facing camera the views were really of little interest to anyone but those studying the gluteus maximus!

We did have one very pleasing descent down Blagdon Hill, however, during which I kept the camera rolling. I think this is the best few minutes not left on the cutting room floor. So using Garmin's VIRB editing software, I've been able to integrate some marginally interesting telemetry to the GoPro video. Add a bit of music and this is what you get ...

And the full ride route ...

A slow start to the AVP year

Twas a cloudy but very mild evening for yesterday's AVP Thursday night ride. Only 4 riders made the 18:30 depart, 'Gunner' Rex, Geoff 'the mechanic', 'Recumbent' Richard (although the recumbent is long since sold, the name lives on) and myself on my Roubaix in desperate need of 'the Mechanic's' wizardry .. the Roubaix that is! 'Handbag' rode with us as far as Rousdon before having to head back to lead out the 19:30 ride.

We had no real route planned other than we were heading east. 'Gunner' had joked earlier of doing a hill climbing circuit which may have dissuaded a few undecided from turning up! If so .. shy cyclists out there .. we always take into consideration who turns up, abilities and others' views before deciding on a route .. HOWEVER .. let me share something which we later discussed with the MTB riders back at Ride HQ. The question debated, was whether it would be better if we communicated the route, including distance and climb, ahead of each ride. Would this encourage more to join our club ride? It's so far been a slow start to the year. I may try a poll this later.

Anyway, back to the ride. Despite the earlier joke of a hill climbing fest, 'Gunner', 'Recumbent' and 'The Mechanic' took this theme to heart when they decided to climb Stepps! I hasten to add, that age before foolhardiness prevailed as 'Handbag' and I left them to it and made our own way up Combe Hill. Unfortunately our KOM performance will have to remain one of myth as my Garmin decided to stop recording at this point. That said, it must have been epic, as we met the Stepps climbers at the same time as they reached the summit.

From Rousdon we headed on towards Lyme, meandered our way up hill past the golf club and then traded in all the hight gained for that thrilling descent down into Charmouth. We then had a picturesque pedal through Catherston Leweston, Wootton Fitzpaine and then the painful ascent up Monkton Wyld Lane to Raymond’s Hill. ‘Recumbent’ pealed off here, while the remaining 3 of us raced the Trinity - Bosshill route back to the Kings Arms - Ride HQ.

Here’s the route  (less the KOM segment Garmin failed to record).

Bathing or Cycling? A Morning Ride With The Near Naked Man!

It's been a week since my last cheeky cycle .. when I took a morning off work for a winter solstice ride. The weather then was a little moist, so when I got a call from the Near Naked Man for another ride today, and not a drop of rain in sight, I could hardly refuse.

We headed out early, following a route in reverse that our old friend and cycling fiend, Clive did back in June. This included a bit of a detour up a farm track parallel to the Axminster cycle path, thinking Clive had discovered a new track and hill to climb, only to realise at the top that it was probably the result of a misplaced click on the map .. Clive obviously not having to follow the route on his Garmin as I was!

Just before Chard we hit a flooded road. This was when it occurred to me that we should have looked out a route previously ridden in winter rather than June! With the Near Naked Man dressed for bathing as well as cycling, he took one for the team and proceeded across the lake while I watched should he disappear down a pot hole!

Near Naked Man takes one for the team!

Having already included an unscheduled mile or so, we decided to miss out the original Charmouth and Lyme loop, favouring a blast through Marshwood and the homeward descent via Rousdon. Still a 60km ride and over 3k ft of climb, so not at all shabby for a Winter, post Christmas feasting ride!

Sabbatical Day 1/65 : Too Windy for Speed

Monday 6th July marks the first day of my 3 month sabbatical. I have no epic cycling adventure planned, but in addition to the central family theme, I do hope to come close to a sub 4 min Seaton Down Hill climb and a 56 min 30km TT, oh yes, and enjoy a bit more cycling in the sun.

Today opened with me heading off to Exeter to pick up the Specialized Tarmac from the Bike Shed. While I've always been impressed with the friendliness of their staff and fantastic range of bikes and great deals, I've previously been a little critical of their mechanical prowess. All three of my bikes have now been retuned for multiple warranty repairs and whether their fault or the manufacturer, it's hard not to see them as one in the same. So, I was a little apprehensive on my return to them today. I had asked for a call to see if they would swap the FSA for a compact Shimano chain set, but I had to chase them late last week, only to be told that the work had already been done, they'd stripped the bottom bracket and re-greased it. Not only, however, had they fixed the creaking crank, they had also trued the old set of buckled wheels that I had dressed the Tarmac in so as not to risk damaging my new carbon rims. My faith restored!

I was home in time for a spot of lunch and to catch the start of today's TdF, stage 3 Anvers - Huy. With the forecasted midday rain having not arrived, I thought I'd take advantage of the dry conditions to ride the Tarmac out on a circuit of the Axe Estuary and perhaps make an attempt at that sub 56 min TT.  I swapped wheels, alloy for carbon, and fitted the eye level Garmin bracket. Heading towards the beach, my starting point, I found myself having to pedal uphill into a strong onshore headwind. There would be no records broken today.

Decadence in the sun with an ice cream

I continued on and around the circuit considering where to go. I had it in mind to call in on Soanes Cycles in Colyton to check on kit levels. As I pulled up at the pulsating warning lights at the  Colyford tram crossing, to await the carriage of happy holidaymakers pass, I decided I had time to do a loop over to Beer before dropping down into Colyton. Climbing Castle Hill out of Seaton, I thought again at how pleasant it might have been to now be running on a compact chainset! Once I'd climbed out and above Beer, I was feeling like doing a few more miles before making the return to Colyton and so headed out in the opposite direction, towards Sidmouth. After no more than a few minutes the light seemed to change. Did the sky ahead of me look unseasonably dark, or was that just my glasses? As I closed in on the Honiton turning, cool drops started to splash my legs, arms and face. Rain! I quickly took the Honiton turn, there was heavy rain over Sidmouth and it was coming my way, time to change direction.

I got quite a soaking crossing Farway Common to the golf club, but the weather did appear brighter ahead, so I kept my legs spinning. While now very damp, I was not the slightest bit cold, oh the pleasures of summer rain. I had thought about stopping at the Colour Wheel coffee shop but being neither cold nor yet in need of coffee and cake, as I find one can rarely be taken without the other, I cycled on. As I continued north, crossing the A35, Stockland was my next destination. The mention of Stockland to most in the area conjures up the word "hill". 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! The unsuspectingly named, Old Chard Road is probably the steepest ascent and one I steered clear of for my Red Nose Day ride earlier in the year. Strangely and contrary to my whining about the Tarmac's gearing, I found it surprisingly easy today, albeit a minute over my PB set last year with Jason while training for the Ride London.

From Stockland it is a lumpy but beautiful pedal back to Seaton. Crossing the A35 at Kilmington, rain on my skin had given way to perspiration and it was not coffee nor a visit to Soanes that I craved, but ice cream! This decadence was satisfied on my arrival in Colyton.

I so enjoyed the no rush, free feeling of being in my own timeless bubble on this ride. It is only day 1 of my sabbatical, but if it can continue like this, and I can get in a few more leisurely rides, I'll be a very happy bunny!

The Last Week of June

The last week of June has brought a sun filled sky and temperatures soaring into double figures. Although central and eastern England may be melting under a early summer heatwave, here in the South West we are enjoying a pleasant warm spell just perfect for a post work spin on the bike. Which  is just what I've been doing these past 4 days.

My week of cycling actually began on Sunday when I grabbed a quick hour to clock up the 20 or so km I was missing from my targeted weekly 100km. With no cycling buddies around and with a packed afternoon agenda, such that I had no time to hang around, I thought I'd ride my own time trial by doing 4 loops of the Axe Estuary. Averaging over 30 km/h this was a perfect one hour ride. I had thought I would surely be the only one to be daft enough to take on such a ride, alas no! Back in 2011 another chap registered the same 4 loops on Strava and frustratingly in a time of 4 minutes quicker! A re-run will definitely be required as I know I was definitely slowed up on some sectors by a couple of 4 wheeled carbon junkies and I'm sure I could take some of the rises quicker. Perhaps when I get my Tarmac back on the road.




On to Monday and the start of the new working week. After another scorching day, I'm in the lycra and pedalling up Seaton Down Hill before the town clock has had time to strike its five bells. The Mont Ventoux experience has done me well as I'm climbing quicker than before. It's all relative, however, as I'm out on my own with none of my normal whippet riding companions to compare myself against. I do, however, set a new PB of 4m:16s on this first 1km climb. I very much remember when I was striving to get below 5m, so a sub 4m must surely now be possible.

The circuit I have chosen is my favourite 20 miler, up to Honiton golf club, where I shout "haven't you heard, cycling is the new golf!" and then down the beautiful Northleigh descent past the dairy farms and through the clouds of kamikaze bullet flies, on into Colyton. The most frustrating part of this ride today, is the number of carbon junkies fugging up the roads. This is beginning to be a theme; oh I'm missing French roads!




Tuesday, and I'm surprisingly keen to hit the saddle again for a post work spin. Today the wind has picked up but the heat is still there. Lycra'd up and for the second day wearing my Mont Ventoux off the shoulder number, which I had thought, while back in Provence, would only ever be worn again as a light weight gilet, I head out in a reverse direction of yesterday's circuit.

I decide on the Offwell climb up to the golf club. On paper it is higher but being a little longer than Northleigh, I'm hoping it should be easier as my legs are now feeling the effects of cumulative rides. May be it will rain tomorrow!




Wednesday, it's my wife's birthday tomorrow, so my thought is, if I can get a cycle in today and complete my 100km, I can afford to duck out of the Thursday AVP club ride and may even take the weekend off as well.

I have in mind a slightly longer circuit, as I need around 25 miles if I'm not going to do the AVP ride. As soon as work is done, I'm out through the door and spinning along the estuary towards Lyme Regis. The route I have planned is similar to last week's Climbs and Punishment club ride. I was obviously not thinking straight when deciding this, as the title I gave that ride should have hinted as to whether it was suitable for a hot, post work circuit .. In truth and hardly surprising, it was a little hilly for my tired legs, but no pain no gain as they say.

While climbing Mont Ventoux, I experienced for the first time, heat and exertion displayed in the form of sweat dripping from the peak of my cap. Climbing out of Charmouth, I was able to repeat this feat as I hit an ascent sheltered from the wind but in plain view of that fiery orb in the sky!

With the climbs finally behind me, I realised that an ascending road takes the longest to traverse. I was now well behind plan and my tummy was rumbling! I had proposed to take a wider circular route out to Whitford but with my Garmin doing that favoured SatNav trick of getting lost and time slipping quickly away, I took the direct route back to base and that exhilarating 40km+ Bosshill descent into Colyford. Fortunately, having added a few km to the route by stopping off at Charmouth beach, I did not actually need the wider circuit to complete my 100km .. I can now rest up until Monday, the start of my sabbatical and a new adventure.

Mad Dogs and Englishmen go out in the Mid Day Sun

We were expecting rain this afternoon and so with a planned visit to a local market being called off at the last minute there was only one thing for it, splash on the sun cream, lycra up and go for a quick spin. The fact that it was just 30 minutes before mid day was not something which even crossed this Englishman's mind.

Kitted out in my new Ventoux sleeveless jersey, or summer gilet for when I'm back home, and Ventoux sweat busting cap, it felt great cruising along quiet, smooth French asphalted roads, heading towards the mountains under a full mid day sun.

The route I had planned would first take me out to Caromb and then on to Bédoin before then returning along the same route, some 30+ miles in total. As with every great plan, however, things turned out a little different. I made good time getting to Caromb, following the directions displayed on my Garmin Edge Touring's micro screen, but on exiting the town, as I cycled through the displays to get a distance reading, shock horror,  it had never started tracking my ride! So the 'Ride Now' function may start the route guidance software but the folk at Garmin never seemed to think it would be a good idea for this to also start capturing the all important ride statistics .. oh no! there has to be another button you need to press for that  .. bah, some technology sucks!  "Why get so worked up", I hear you say, well as everyone knows, if it's not on Strava, it never happened! Once home, therefore, I had to recreate the missed route on my computer to ensure my Strava record remained complete.

Caromb seemed a nice little town, made even more welcoming by the presence of a small market. I took the opportunity to buy, for 16c, a single banana, much to the amusement of the fruit seller. Declining the plastic bag, in which my single item of fruit looked decidedly lonely, I slipped the banana into my rear left pocket, the one I use for foodstuffs. The middle pocket always holds my wallet, money and documents, and my right pocket, my phone .. for easy access when a quick picture needs to be captured.

The road to Bédoin follows the line of the mountains east and then turns north towards Mont Ventoux. Today, unlike last Thursday, its summit is shrouded in heavy cloud. I think any rider climbing today will be getting touch of natures' liquid cooling this afternoon, some of which spills down into the valley as I cycle into Bédoin. My first thoughts are whether I need to procure a Ventoux rain cape to partner my gilet, but the precipitation comes to nothing and my wallet is saved another outing.

Having failed to capture the start of my ride on the Garmin, the usual assistance it offers in being able to return me to my starting point is lost. I, therefore, stick to the route I think I know and follow the signs back to Carpentras. Before getting hunkered down to pedal into what is starting to be a brisk head wind, I pause for a selfie at the Bédoin roundabout, upon which is sited the iconic cycling sculpture found on many a Mont Ventoux post card.

The road to Carpentras is a swift one and I would have been back at the Gîte in no time at all, had I not become overly confident in my navigation skills and thinking I was further ahead than I actually was, I took a turn which had me heading back to the mountains! Despite hating to have to retrace my steps, all confidence in any sense of direction was now shattered. I could not risk attempting to cut across country to complete the hypotenuse to the triangular route I would now need to plot, so a u-turn was the only option. Once back to the roundabout at which my erroneous turn occurred, the correct path was clear to see and my inner chimps had a right 'ding dong' over how I could have made such a mistake. I had another crisis within Carpentras, where when travelling in the opposite direction, I found that none of the landmarks and turnings looked familiar. It was with pure relief, therefore, that the final roundabout marking the gateway out of the town and towards home was finally crossed and I was again speeding on familiar, freshly laid tarmac.

The final combined distance was a stone's throw short of 30 miles, how I can have come in under the original distance, with all my detours, is a mystery. That aside, it was great to have had the opportunity for another spin, these French roads are just so bike friendly. With just two more days remaining, ahead of our long drive back to the UK, I am hoping to have another ride up Mont Ventoux, weather and legs permitting, before I bid my final farewell to this wonderful location.

Solo Thursday Evening Ride

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!

AVP Saturday Morning Ride with Little Miss Bossy!

Being a very much last minute planned ride, only Kelly and I were free to meet up at the new Coffee Shop at Rousdon. I'd originally thought we'd have a pre cycle beverage but with the weather looking so good we just wanted to get out and on the road. May be next time I'll be better organised and suggest we meet at 09:00 for 09:30 to allow time for a pre ride coffee and natter.

My plan was to ride out to Shave Cross to check out the extent of the recently closed road on Marshwood .. well one has to have a goal. Also, being very last minute, the route was a bit fluid and while I had printed out a map and loaded up my Garmin, neither made made much sense once we were rolling - navigation has never been my strong point - watch out all for March's Sunday ride which I'm supposed to be leading, goodness knows where we'll end up!

Little Miss Bossy at the Library

As it was, we failed to get too lost. From Rousdon, we dropped down to Lyme, climbed out past the golf club to Charmouth .. then took the bridge over the A35, a much better decision than crossing further up, not just because of not having to dodge cars on the A35 but the views back to Charmouth and Lyme were spectacular. We rode on through Wooton Fitzpaine - stopping at the most unusual telephone box library - Whitchurch Canoncorum and returned to Seaton via Marshwood, Hawkchurch and Axminster.

There was a short stop in Axminster to pick up a bag of Jelly Babies and while we had also planned a stop at the Arts Cafe for coffee, were shocked to find that it closes at 12:00 noon on a Saturday! Thankfully, The Broom Wagon - a favoured establishment of mine - back in Seaton, was more than able to satisfy our need for good coffee & cake

Evening Dorset Tour

Regular readers will have noticed that Tuesday evenings have become serious training rides ahead of the AVP 100 miler planned fro the end of August. Fortuitously this has enabled me to join these new club rides to up my mileage ahead of my earlier 100 miler .. yes the RideLondon just over 2 weeks away now!

Around 9 Pedallers met up at Seaton Health Centre bus stop for our third Tuesday ride lead by our master route planner, Buster. For this ride, Buster had a long and challenging circuit worked out with what seemed to be a tour of a Dorset .. we headed over to Lyme Regis, through Charmouth, Salway Ash, Broardwindsor and back via Marshwood to Axmister and home.

Phew, Tuesday nights are certainly becoming rides with an attitude. Around 45 miles covered, 3-4000 ft of climb, depending on whose Garmin you believe, and a need for lights as it was after 10:30 pm by the time we were cycling back into Seaton. Those last 10 miles were the fastest I ever ridden over that distance, as I achieved a personal best of 28m:09s which is a 1m:22s improvement on my previous record set in June while riding the Dartmoor Classic .. amazing what a difference it makes cycling over level ground, roll on London!

Kelly's Heros

Today saw me return to the saddle for the third epic ride of the week, when I met up with Andy, Kelly and Jason (My RideLondon buddy - still not too late to sponsor me at https://www.justgiving.com/Jonathan-Read-Bone/) for a 50+ mile ride out to Culmstock, following a route we took on last years AVP 100 miler.

Kelly's Heros

The weather, route and company was wonderful and the ride event free, no bonking, punctures or mechanicals to speak of .. who could ask for more.

As I hinted on Thursday, I took delivery of a new camera bracket yesterday and so took the opportunity on this ride to test out a new raised and forward position for the camera and real sound in place of a backing track - hoping moving the camera away from cables and the forks would reduce previous interference. In creating the final video, I also tested out an interesting piece of software from Garmin, their VIRB Edit code, which enable one to add interesting telemetry to the video, similar to that you see shown on TV during Formula 1 races. The final results were mixed .. the video quality still seems to be good, the sound a little improved but the telemetry is challenging and time consuming to add, such that you'll only see it, in this edit, in two scenes. Let me know what you think.

I may have started something with this video lark, as Kelly turned up today with a helmet mounted GoPro, more usually found attached to her kayak. So we benefit today in having two complimentary videos of the ride, with Kelly's including a few and rare shots or yours truly!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VwO3BxiWTU

Oh yes.. and what's the relevance of today's blog title? Well, the AVP like to give out nicknames and on Tuesday, Buster struck on 'Hero' for Kelly, after the classic 1970's film starting Clint Eastwood. You can make up the rest. I'm now looking forward for Kelly's next video to be accompanied by the film's soundtrack ;)

Rous it Down

86 Days until the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey

We had a great turnout for the road ride last night with a spectrum of speed category riders making good time on the 25 mile Lyme Regis circuit. Even with Nelly carrying 7kg in his panniers didn't seem to slow him down much! Alas there were no ladies in our number, although with an 'Adam' skin suit on show, I'm sure that was a wise decision - see pics and decide for yourselves.

Down on Lyme Regis beach we bumped into a group of stunt cyclists balancing and jumping between the breakwater rocks .. not for the feint hearted. There was a suggestion we show them how it should be done but with time ticking we needed to move on .. may be next time!

Weather was warm and sunny as forecast, and the golden sun set from the top of Trinity Hill a wonderful sight.

Oh yes .. and why was Nelly carrying 7kg of bricks in his panniers? Well it was not a (justified) rider's handicap, but he's in training for his June ride from Venice to Topsham for the Force Cancer charity. Read more here http://thenelly2014.wordpress.com

While I have to remember to power Garmin back on after a stop, as I missed a good few miles off my total distance here, I did record some very good achievements. 10 Strava segment PRs and at last, an AVP record on the Rous it down segment. The training continues.

Day 347 - Getting Colder

Well, I guess in my last post, I spoke too soon ... since then I've had over 10 days of idleness and could easily have stayed home in the warm, finished off some work and vegged in front of the TV. Thursdays have started to miraculously be the one day of the week when the weather seems break - last week being the exception - thus leaving little excuse not to venture out on the AVP evening ride. So there is was, the tough decision of, to go or not to go ...

It could have been a solo ride

I was the first to arrive at the Kings Arms. 10 minutes later, I was thankful to be joined by Airfix and then Handbag, as it was starting to look as though it would be a solo circuit of Seaton and home! The three of us headed out towards the Stockland mast, via Shut, under a bright moon and plummeting temperatures. By the time we'd made to the Old Chard Road junction on Stockland hill, my feet were feeling somewhat chilly. We u-turned here with two options, returning along the same road back to Colyford, it being an 'away night' or branching off through Wilmington for a bit more climbing. Airfix and I for some reason voted for the latter .. and on we climbed .. 2,300 ft in total, according to my Garmin!

We made it back to the White Hart, in good time. Its welcoming roaring open fire a blessing to my frozen toes and as usual, good beer and the best après-cycling food around. Another great APV Thursday evening ride and 20+ miles competed. Looking forward to the next!

 

Day 234 - Ships in the Night

Thoughts of 'ships in the night' crossed my mind as Andy and I passed the Pedallers out on the Thursday evening ride tonight; they climbing up past Beer quarry as we descended. There seemed to be as many as last week, less 2 of course! Their lights illuminating the wooded lane giving us, at first, the impression of a convoy of cars ascending the hill towards us.

Why, you may ask, were we heading in the other direction? Well, a quicker ride, ahead of the forecasted rain, and a desire to get a good ride out on the Roubaix was my excuse. Having missed Clive's Sunday ride last week and the same prospect being on the cards for this weekend, due to the wet season we've sadly entered, has meant that the Roubaix has just not had a look in recently. 

Anyway, we headed over to Colyton and up Old Sidmouth Road towards Beer. Having made such easy work of this long climb, we felt Peco hill in Beer should be included in our route. Big mistake! Taking off at speed in too high a gear and nearing the brow, high out of the saddle, I hit the power wall and forward motion as good as stopped. Being secured to my pedals the only option to avoid falling was a hasty unclip and dismount. Having made this assent in one before, it was a great disappointment to be so unceremoniously dumped so close to my goal. After a short rest and rehydrate, I resumed and completed the climb. I feel a revisit will be on the cards again soon!

Back in Seaton, having a little more gas in the tank, well Andy anyway, we completed a loop out to Colyford and back before then calling it a night. In all, a 15-20 mile ride (I neglected to power up the Garmin until well into the ride) in 90 minutes was good enough but no apres beer and chips tonight. Will be back out with the Pedallers on the Crosstrail next week, weather permitting .. and looking forward to hearing how the ride went this evening, did they all manage to avoid the monsoon?

Stats: 12.9 mi, 1hr 01m, Avg 12.5 mph, Max 28.8 mph, 768 kcal

Day 187 - Morning Ride with Andy

With just 8 days before the AVP 100 miler, I had a number of options this weekend to get in a few extra miles training before the big day. The AVP were planning a gentle 30 miler out from Ottery St Mary to Exmouth, the Sid Valley CC would have their Sunday am fast paced 40+ mile ride and my new good friend and Specialized sparing partner from AVP extended me the offer of joining him on a Saturday morning training circuit. In the end the decision was easy.

Andy and I met on Seaton Down Hill for the steep climb out of town. This is the hill I set my fitness by as I've only recently been able to make it to the top without stopping. Today, I could still feel Thursday's ride in my legs, so I did somewhat fear for how the rest of the morning would go.

First stop Sidmouth, Andy in AVP and me (unseen) in my SVCC colours

I was really pleased that we planned to head out via Sidmouth, as on the 20th September, I'm cycling over there to see the start of stage 6 of the Tour of Britain. I'm not sure, however, that I'll use the same route out, as we then made our way, 7 miles inland, to Ottery St Mary before then taking the old single carriage A30 into Honiton where, after 25 miles in the saddle, we stopped for a much needed coffee and cake!

Having taken on fuel, we had a double climb up Stockland Hill out of Honiton, over which I adopted the snaking mountain pass manoeuvre to level out the assent and maintain some level of forward momentum. I'm not sure whether it was this unconventional climbing motion or the technical hitch I'll comment on later, but something totally confused Strava, because for some reason it awarded me the King of the Mountain (KOM) for the Stockland Hill Climb, which unbelievably no one has climbed before! Oh well a KOM is a KOM and I think this is one which will never be taken from me, as I can't see that it is a route that actually exists!  Once at the top of the 'mountain', the remaining 15 miles were more or less down hill back through Shute and Colyton to Seaton.

JRB wins KOM for the Stockland Hill Climb

The technical hitch I commented earlier on, was on leaving Honiton, when my Garmin decided during our coffee stop that it should include itself, such that it powered down for a rest. This unexpected feature in its design was not, however, spotted until a further 3 or so miles had been covered. Luckily, Strava accounted for the missed miles in its final report, but this being unknown to us at the time and having only registered 39 miles on entering Seaton, we madly decided to do an additional circuit of Axmouth to bring the total above 40 miles! Unbelievably, although in reality I'd already completed some 41 miles, I then went on to achieve my best ever times on both the Seaton to Axmouth and Axmouth Gate to Boshill sprints! What a finish to a great morning's ride.

Stats: 44.4 mi, 2hr 56m, Avg 14.1 mph, Max 44.7 mph, 2,323 kcal