Ramblings of a silverback cyclist

Shorter rides in Milton Keynes 2012

2011-09-21T11:07:00.002+01:00

First apologies for the dodgy font on some of this post, I must learn to write it out properly and not just copy and paste from a word doc :-)

Next year I'll be doing the First Sunday of The Month rides again, this will be the (I think) 10th year of doing these and it is still as popular as always.

When I started these I only did a couple of 10 mile rides. People found these too short but didn't want to go out on the longer and faster CTC rides. The idea of 20 miles every month looked like a good one.
They were started to get people out on bikes, to show people how easy it is to get about Milton Keynes by bike, to get people cycling more often and to show that cycling on the roads is not as scary as people think.

It has worked as the amount of riders I get is usually between 10 - 20 but can be as many as 50!
Riders that have come out as finding it hard to do 20 miles are now going out and doing 75+

We ride in all weathers but there may be times when we decide to not ride if it is dangerous ie frozen roads or snow. Sometimes when it is chucking it down there will only be a couple of us there (I can't get rid of Norman :-D ) but there will always be someone at the start.

January 2012 will be the 112th month these have been running.

All rides start at 10am from Elizabeth Square Bandstand

Bletchley.

Rides are approx 20 miles.

Unless stated otherwise.

January 1st ~ Ride to Stony Stratford via Whaddon. On road.

Febuary 5th ~ Ride to Stewkley via Swanbourne and Dunton. On road.

March 4th ~ Ride to Woburn via Wavendon (a few hills). On road.

April 1st ~ Ride to Stockgrove park viaLeighton Buzzard (a few hills). On road.

May 6th ~ Ride around the lakes of MK (Parks Trust). Mostly on redways and shared use paths

June 3rd ~ Ride around the Millennium cycle route, (Parks Trust)

13 miles starts at Furzton Lake (At thebridge by the bowl) Mostly on Redways and shared use paths.

July 1st ~ Ride around the back of Linfordlakes and back via Haversham. (Parks Trust) Mostly on Redways and shared use paths although some quiet roads are used.

August 5th ~ Ride to Winslow using SustransRoute 51 (Parks Trust)

18 Milesstarts at Furzton Lake, (at the bridge by the Bowl). Mostly on shared use paths.

September 2nd ~ Ride to Woburn via LittleBrickhill (a few Hills). On road.

October 7th ~ Ride to Harrold and Odell park café, 30Miles (Start at Campbell Park by the headsculpture). Redways through MK and on road to cafe.

November 4th ~ Ride to Marston Vale café viaWoburn (30 miles). On road

December 2nd ~ Ride to Cranfield via Newport Pagnell. On road

(Parks Trust)listed rides are rides put on in conjunction with

The Parks Trustas part of their Easy Rider rides programme.

Allthe rides are taken at a pace to suit the slowest rider withplenty of stops if needed.
Children are welcome, Butunder 16’s must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

The rides will use a mixture of surfaces so robust tyres are advisable.

The rides use the redways, shared use pathsand quiet roads where possible.

You are advised to ensure that your bicycle is in a roadworthy condition. Carrya puncture repair kit or spare inner tube. Bring along a drink or some money to getsomething at the stop

(Whichis usually about half way or so).

Helmets are a personal choice,

(I’m not going to stop youriding if you’re not wearing one).

Note:-

This ride is not a race or trial of speed.

The route is on open public shared-route paths and roads.

You are expected to follow the rules of the road and

show consideration to other road/path users.

Although lead, the route is not waymarked or marshalled.

The organiser provides no rescue service.

You are responsible for your own safety/conduct.

For more info or any other questions
Email bletchleycyclerides@tesco.net

A Change of plans

2011-06-01T12:38:00.001+01:00

After the Stockport 300 and the ride home went ok, I was looking forward to the Welsh 600 in mid May and a 400 into north Wales at the end of the month. Neither of these rides went well and I ended up packing and getting the train home on both.

Working away for 3 months and not riding to work in the week, along with eating too much hotel/restaurant food has left me unfit and a bit up on weight! Due to having my kids at the weekends and planned holidays this month, it looks like I'll not have the time and fitness to qualify for PBP (Paris - brest - Paris) this year.
I'm not really that fussed about it though as it has felt that I've HAD to do all the rides this year just so that I could go and do PBP.
I've not been getting the enjoyment from cycling this year as much as I did in the last few years.

I'm going to get back out on my bike now for a few shorter and more enjoyable social rides, whilst still doing the shorter audax rides.
I now have over a week off in August still booked and I may even go and do a bit of cycle camping/touring.
Now I just have to decide where I'm going to go :-)

I've always wanted to tour around the Netherlands and it's slightly easier to get to from here than my other idea of touring Ireland.
I was going to go over a few years ago for Cyclevision and the recumbent racing but this never happened and last years 1200km audax has only made me want to see it at a slower pace.
So far the idea is Ferry over and ride along the Rhine to Arnhem (Mum went to school there for 14yrs). Up through the Apeldoorn and onto the North coast, maybe visiting some velomobile and recumbent manufacturers on the way up through to drool over stuff I can't afford!!
Then ride back south along the coast for the ferry home.

Now to spend the next month or so doing another favourite pastime of mine, spending ages looking at maps :-D

Rich.

Stockport 300

2011-04-25T12:37:00.001+01:00

With train tickets booked to allow a leisurely ride to the start at 23.00 grabbing food on the way. All was going to plan until overhead cable problems near northampton. I eventually got on the train 55mins late.
I got to the start with 10mins to spare and was away with the bunch, I found myself near the front and stayed with 2 fast lads all the way to the first control at 75km 5 minutes after it opened.
The ride got a bit lanesy and without a good light I couldn't keep up the pace, after nearly going through a hedge on one decent I slowed down a bit getting to the next control at Ford about 5-10 mins behind the fast 2, the service was quick and my egg and beans on toast went down a treat.

The next section got a bit lumpy as we headed for the Welsh borders again slowing me down, I've never been a good climber at 16.5st and to slow me down this time I had my panniers on with some clothes and trainers in ready for a few days away.
Daybreak in the misty lanes and valleys was lovely though.
After a garage control at Newton with coffee and cake it was starting to warm up slightly and I left bypassing the hills to take the main road back to Ford for another stop at Dinkies diner this time for a bacon and egg roll.

I was a bit tired now and the fast start could definitely be felt in my legs, the road surfaces were terrible and the narrow tyres and 100+psi in them was causing the bike to rattle terribly, it was also starting to get on my nerves.
I was following the gps track and as it was the same route as out I wasn't taking much notice. It was only when I got almost back to Whitchurch I realised I'd missed a turning. Wasn't much off course though and with a quick look at the map I was soon back on course.
The lanes were starting to get worse and with the Sun getting higher in the sky I was getting a bit hot and more tired, the next control took a long time to come but I was glad when it did.

For a ride called the plains it got rather more hilly in the last section, the extra weight of the panniers was really felt now and I did walk up a couple of the steeper ones. The sun had really brought out the flies also and I was constantly brushing them away.
The final few kms couldn't come soon enough and it was good to see the finish again, 320km in total in 15.50hrs.

All I had to do then was have a slow ride to Manchester airport travelodge and my great priced £10 room.
Showed, fed and after 3 ciders I was asleep by 20.00, 36hrs after getting up.

PBP qualifier ride number 2 complete, now for a couple of days in Yorkshire with family and then 2x200km rides home on Wed/Thu.

I'm still here!!

2011-02-27T12:37:00.001Z

This new season has not come up to expectations so far, maybe it's because of all the riding I did last year where I reached my goal of getting the AUK recumbent points record.
Maybe it's because I think I have to go out and ride because of the French ride this year, instead of going out to enjoy it.

So far this season I've managed to get out once a month for my RRTY (200km a month) although I've also DNS'd and DNF'd a 600, 300 and 2x200's.
I got round the Kennet valley run yesterday, a great ride in a lovely area. But I didn't enjoy it!!
It was good to see a lot of friends and it was great chatting to them all, but I really didn't like the cycling bit.

Perhaps I need to do some fast shorter rides and something different to get the motivation back ready for the longer rides later in the year.
I have loads of rides planned and with everything else I don't have a free weekend until Sept!!

So it looks like I'll be out doing local rides this month with some hills involved for good measure :-)
There are some great roads around here to cycle on. I'll be getting the maps out later to work out some routes.

The next audax will be The Dean on the last weekend of March, another ride that I don't have a good record on, 1 DNF due to a broken steering, a DNF due to a new not setup correctly bike and a DNS due to sickness so far. Let's see how it goes this year.

Hopefully it will come back soon and I'll start enjoying it again.

See you on the road :-)

FSoTM rides from MK 2011

2010-11-02T11:44:00.002Z

Start at 10am from Elizabeth Square Bandstand.

Bletchley.

Rides are approx 20 miles.

Unless stated otherwise.

Jan 2nd. ~ Ride to Cranfield via Newport Pagnell (25 miles)

Feb 6th. ~ Ride to Stewkley via Swanbourne and Dunton.

Mar 6th. ~ Ride to Stony via Whaddon.

April 3th. ~ Ride to Woburn via Great Brickhill (a few hills).

May 1st. ~ Ride to Salcey Forest café. (30 miles).

June 5th. ~ Ride around the Millennium cycle route, (Parks Trust)

13 miles starts at Furzton lake (At the bridge by the bowl).

Jul 3rd. ~ Ride around the lakes of MK. (Parks Trust)

Aug 7th. ~ Ride to Winslow using Sustrans Route 51 (Parks Trust)

18 Miles starts at Furzton lake, (at the bridge by the Bowl).

Sept 4th. ~ Ride around the back of Linford lakes and via Newport. (Parks Trust)

Oct 2nd. ~ Ride to Stockgrove park café via Leighton Buzzard (a few Hills).

Nov 6th. ~ Ride to Stockgrove via Wing (30 miles).

Dec 4th ~ Ride to Woburn via Wavendon. (A few hills).

(Parks Trust) listed rides are rides put on in conjunction with

The Parks Trust as part of their Easy Rider rides programme.

These rides were started to get more people out on their bikes,

And to show how easy it is to get around MK

And the surrounding areas.

All the rides are taken at a pace to suit the slowest

With plenty of stops if needed.

Children are welcome

But under 16’s must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

The rides will use a mixture of surfaces so robust tyres are advisable.

The rides use the redways, shared use paths and quiet roads where possible.

You are advised to

Ensure that your bicycle is in a roadworthy condition.

Carry a puncture repair kit or spare inner tube.

Bring along a drink or some money to get something at the stop.

(Which is usually about half way or so).

Helmets are a personal choice,

(I’m not going to stop you riding if you’re not wearing one).

Note:-

This ride is not a race or trial of speed.

The route is on open public shared-route paths and roads.

You are expected to follow the rules of the road and

show consideration to other road/path users.

Although lead, the route is not waymarked or marshalled.

The organiser provides no rescue service.

You are responsible for your own safety/conduct.

For more info on any of the rides

Contact

Rich Forrest

bletchleycyclerides@tesco.net

End of another audax year and the start of another.

2010-11-02T10:40:00.003Z

Well that was an interesting year and as of yesterday (1.11.10) the new season has started.
I finished with a points total of 80 this year managing to get the recumbent points championship and the record along with it. Are you coming out of retirement now MrL?

For a while I wasn't sure that I would win it this time as I had a good challenger which helped to motivate me to get out a few times. So thanks Tim and I look forward to doing it again this season.

The blogging side of this fell a bit by the wayside recently as I just didn't find the time to add stuff on here.

Since my last update I've still been cycling, no surprise there really!
First was my local FSoTM ride, a 30 mile ride over to Marston Vale forest centre and cafe.
A good group of us went up through Little Brickhill, through Woburn park and onto the cafe in the rain (it rained last year too) for a coffee stop.
After which I got my tools out (tools not tool!!) to spin the forks around on a bike brought from Asda. It had been put together at the shop and had them in back to front!! after raising the saddle for the lady also she found it was much better to ride.
The next one is this coming weekend 7.11.10 with a big 30 mile loop around Leighton Buzzard and back via the cafe at Stockgrove park. All are welcome to join us as usual.

The second weekend saw me up and away early for a ride over to Chalfont for the start of a planned 300km ride. This was shortened to a 200 as I'd got an invite to a wedding that evening instead.
The ride over went well and I got to the start with an hr to spare, I had coffee and watched the 200km riders depart and waited for the 100km riders to arrive.
It was a good ride over to Benson for breakfast, I was still going well and got there while a lot of the 200km riders were still there.
The ride back through the chilterns was a bit harder, as I've still not sorted my gears out and was having trouble getting the front changer to drop into the small ring. I walked a couple of hills on the way back and was back at the start at 13.00
After more coffee and too long chatting I was away again for the ride home.

I was planning to go out again mid month but couldn't be asked to get out of bed after a longish week at work so the last ride I did was an extended calendar event adding 100km to a 100 km ride Starting at Stevenage.

It was a late start at 07.15 as the ride didn't start until 10.00 and the ride over went without problems. Apart from the front gear changer!!
There was about 350 other people riding this event and they were being sent away at 5 minute intervals.
My start time was 10.15 so there were a few people ahead of me on the road.
It was the usual recumbent ride rolling along at 30+kph on the flat, silly speeds on the downhills and crawling up them at walking pace.
Being a well organised event catering for all types of rider the controls were only 25km apart. There was a huge queue at the first couple of places but the village hall stop at Therfield was good with excellent cakes and sandwiches from the local WI. It also happened to coincide with the worst of the rain so too long was again spent there.
Away again and the ride still seemed to keep on rolling up and down the hills a quick blast through Stevenage main roads got me back a bit quicker than the using the cycle tracks like last year.
The ride home was again non-eventful and I got back at 19.00 for a leisurely 12hrs out with 4hrs off the bike!!

The new season starts as I mean to go on with the Upper Thames 200km ride from Cholsey (nr Didcot). An excellent ride which was my first 200km audax and now my 4th time of doing it.
I will be riding the 70km there and back of course :-D but this will mean a 4am start and I do have the day before booked off work.
This will definitely slow me down for the local Sunday ride though.

See you on the road
Rich

It's that time of year again

2010-09-23T19:14:00.002+01:00

These last 3 weeks I've been doing early shift meaning I've been getting up at 04.00 to be out of the door at 05.00 for the cycle in to work.
As the Summer finishes (was it here?) the morning temperatures are starting to drop the ride in is now in the dark and it will soon be getting darker in the evenings too.
It's this time of year when you can be cycling along in silence with just the hiss of tyres on the tarmac enjoying the ride when you start to hear a faint squeak.
As you cycle along the noise starts to get louder, you start to wonder what part of your bike is rubbing?
Next thing you see is a flash of a reflector in your lights as you nearly take out the bike in front of you with no lights as he wobbles into view!!
Bloody ninja cyclists!!!

How hard is it to buy a set of lights from Tesco (other shops are available ;-) ) for the measly sum of about £2, I try and make the point of saying "nice lights bud" as I pass but the comment usually goes in one ear and out the other at the same speed that I'm cycling at.
Around here they all also seem to wear Hi-Vis jackets thinking that they are safe using just them. Hi-Vis clothing is ok for being seen as long as the vehicle lights are pointing at you. If the riders cross your path you don't see anything until they are right in front of you and collision is imminent.
Perhaps I should oil my bike less so they can hear me coming, but you'd think that a bright light illuminating the path for meters ahead would show there was something else coming along, but no they still ride into your path.... Perhaps I ought to just spear them with the front chain ring and be done with it.
Trouble is I'd then have to bury the body and clean the bike of course. That sounds too much like hard work though :-D

and breath..........................

More ramblings

2010-09-18T19:20:00.003+01:00

Still not managed a long ride this month due to Steph going back into hospital, having the kids and 2 x 6 day weeks on early shift.
Luckily I'll be out on a 600km ride next weekend up to Yorkshire and back with a bunch of others so my RRTY (200km+ ride a month) will still be in place.
The combination of no riding, no gym, long hours and eating and drinking too much feels like I've put on a couple of pounds. I'll be glad when I can get back to normal again with work and family life so I can think about next years rides already :-D

All rides next year will be in prep for PBP (Paris - Brest - Paris) a 1200km ride that has about 6000 riders from all over the world coming to ride it.
I hope to qualify and ride it and with enough rides under my belt to make it a bit easier. Rides of that distance will never be easy but with the right training it might be easier!!

I still have a few rides left to do this season so might get the trophy for top recumbent rider at the AGM although that's not a given as I've been chased all year by another Bacchetta rider,Tim Edwards up in Scotland who has around the same amount as I have.
It's been good to have another recumbent rider out doing audax, it's a shame we've not met up and rode together yet though, he was going to do the Dutch 1200 earlier but never managed to get over to it in the end.

On another note I've taken over the reins of DIY audax organiser for the Midlands, North and Mid Wales from Danial Webb. He has loads of other stuff to do for the club and has no time to do it, so after he put a request in on yacf I was the first of a few to reply and got the job :-D
Details can be found on my other blog page

Rich

Another long time...

2010-09-06T19:07:00.006+01:00

..since I last posted, I've been busy with family life most of the last 3 weeks due to my youngest 3 kids mother having an accident while horse riding, breaking 6 ribs and spending almost 3 weeks in hospital.
Plans for long rides went out of the window as I had them overnight at the weekends.

I still managed to get up to Derby to borrow the Greenspeed Glyde velomobile from Rob who kindly let me have it.
It was great fun and if you think you get a lot of attention riding a recumbent, you should try riding one of these. It stops traffic :-D
The plan on having it was to use it for work and then ride over to the Mildenhall cycle rally, do a long audax in it on the Saturday, spend Sunday with it on Kevins pitch chatting about it and recumbents. Then ride it back and do a 600km ride on it the following week while off work.

The ride over took a bit longer than expected due to a puncture on the way through Bedford, tube changed and found it wouldn't inflate due to dodgy valve. Another tube later it was up to pressure and I was away again.
Dragging the 80+lb velo and my 200+lb up over the Greensand ridge after Sandy was slow work but the mountain drive worked well and it was a bottom gear spin up and away.
On the flat the machine went well and could be kept above 40kph fairly easily. It was a bit warm inside and I had to make sure I had plenty of water along the way as I was soaked in sweat.
The next fun bit was after a food stop and I'd got it wound up to 45kph again when the n/s wheel hit a stone and the tyre went with a bang!!
Unload all the camping gear and luggage to get to the spare that Rob had kindly left inside.
More time lost fixing that and it was away again through Cambridge and onto the rally arriving at after 21.00.

I'd found out on the way there that long rides in it were not that comfortable for me as I needed more reach on the steering as it was making my shoulders ache.
The seat could go back another notch and the bars would move forward slightly but this would mean adjusting the pedals and maybe the chain so I didn't bother with it.
It was fine over the distance I was doing in it but it just meant I decided to not start the audax ride. Again this was no problem as I went out on the 65km cake and beer ride instead :-D
Great fun around the lanes of Suffolk and more fun overtaking 3 cars and a TT rider at 65kph

As said above on Sunday I helped out on Kevins (D-Tek recumbents nr Ely) pitch with all his recumbent bikes chatting to all that would listen about the benefits of them.
Beer fest on the Sat/Sun evening was also fun, less so the Thai restaurant that was expensive with tiny portions and rude staff. So bad it was funny!

Monday morning was again spent chatting and catching up with friends before I hit the road for the journey home. Uneventful ride back but a bit slow due to too much drink and food.

As Steph was still in hospital I'd cancelled my weeks holiday as I'd not be able to do what I'd planned, so it was another week of commuting and 12 - 14hr night shifts.
The Glyde had to go back on Friday but I'm hopefully going to try out a Quest later in the year and Rob has also said his new one Glyde will be here in a couple of months and I could have a go in that also for comparison. The one I borrowed was a prototype hence the new one being a lot lighter. Maybe I should make a trip over to the Netherlands again and take up some other offers of rides over there.

It's just a shame I can't afford the price tag on these machines at the moment, but the time will come when one will be mine and I'll be riding about the country with a big grin again:-D :-D

More photo's can be found in various replies on this thread on yacf.

Long time - no blog!

2010-08-12T10:48:00.007+01:00

Not updated this for a few weeks, but I've still been getting the miles in.
The week after Coming back from the Netherlands I decided to cycle over to the coast at Dunwich to meet up with friends who were doing the Dunwich Dynamo, a yearly ride out of London to the coast that gets bigger each year. Pic's from various people here.
I left at 13.00 thinking that at my normal speed I'd get there at about the same time as the first riders up from London.
My route took me across to Biggleswade up to Spalding and then an almost straight line to the coast.
I had a headwind for most of the way to Spalding which made the going tough but as I turned eastwards I got the benefit of it being behind me and I arrived ahead of schedule at 01.45 to an empty beach and an over 30kph avg!!
After food, drink and a laugh with friends (more pics and write-ups can be found here on yacf) I set off back for home by the most direct route available.
It was hot again and with the lack of sleep I was finding it hard, the ride home was 212 in total and it took me the same amount of time as the ride out. I got home at just before 01.00 for a total of 550km for the 2 days.

Another week of cycling to work and the next weekend was my local ride.
This route was one of the first rides I put on 8yrs ago and it always gets good support.
This year was a bit quieter than normal but we still had 13 riders turn up including a 6yr old ("nearly 7") with his brother in a child seat on his dad's bike.

The route took us on the mostly off road paths out to Winslow and back using Sustrans route 51. It is a bit potholed in places but that's the trouble when cars are allowed to use it.
On arrival at Winslow we were a bit early for the pub so a few riders had coffee in the pub and some went to the cafe.
There was also a farmers market going on there so we all had a look around purchasing various things. I have to say the ostrich burger was lovely :-)

Forward another week and plans for another long ride were sorted and I was planning to leave after dropping the kids home at 19.00.
All good plans and all that meant it didn't happen but I went to bed early and was up again at 03.00 and away at 04.15 for a 400km diy ride.

The route this time was Northwards to Northampton, turn right for Oundle and then a mostly Northwards route again up to Lincoln and Market Rasen. Then south through Boston, St Ives and turn right for home.
The roads at that time on a Sunday morning were empty and I was making good time over the rolling hills looking down onto the Ouse valley as the sun came up.
Through the picturesque villages around Oundle and onto the Long never ending A15 through Bourne and up to Lincoln.
This road is always said to be too busy and dangerous to cycle on, I've never had a problem with riding on it myself as it's a lot less busier than cycling through a town like Lincoln.

A missed turning coming out of Lincoln, too busy racing traffic to look at my GPS :-D had me doing a few extra bonus km's, again I used the main A46 out of town to get to Market Rasen as it was probably quicker than a lanesy route having to slow for corners and junctions!!

Market Rasen was about the halfway mark and I had got there in 9hrs, going well despite the N/Westerly almost headwind. I was hoping that on turning Southwards I'd get the benefit from it but on the next section it started to slow. Boston came and went all be it with a long stop at a garage. Then continuing southwards the wind has changed to an Easterly as I came past the wash and was again hard work to pedal against. This was probably more to do with my legs being tired after 300km than the wind. I seemed to be slowing as I got to St Ives but had still averaged 27.3kph.

Food was brought and I sat on the grass eating pasta and cakes as the sun set. Sounds great but it was only a garage forecourt by a roundabout!
I put on my long sleeve jersey for the evening section but as I got going it was still to warm and I took it off again. A good pace still held across to Bedford and the usual route through the town was fun racing the cars. I was expecting abuse from a chaved up Nova that came alongside of me.
But all I got was thumbs up and asked "how the F### do you get on that thing!"
" Put my feet up and pedal :-D" was my reply before they raced off.
The hill at Cranfield is not too big but always a bugger at the end of a long ride and it had me puffing like a steam engine by the time I got to the top, but as you pass the village the lights of MK come into sight and you know your heading downhill to home.

I managed to get round in just under 20hrs with an avg of 27.3kph and as I was on my own I'm happy with that.

I'm thinking of going out again this weekend overnight on Sunday, Will depend on if I start drinking on Sunday first!!

The following weekend I'll be having fun though as I'm borrowing this from Rob at West Country Recumbents for a couple of weeks.

My Dutch trip - The ride itself Pt 2 - 3

2010-07-27T11:03:00.004+01:00

Day 2
After eating, getting showered and having just over 4hrs sleep we were woken up for the 2nd day.
Bleary eyed and with tired legs me and Adam were off heading north out of Maastricht for day 2.
The route headed into Germany for a short while then followed the Maas up through the Netherlands before going back into Germany again and skirting around the Dusseldorf area before crossing the Rhine and riding through the Naturpark Hohe Mark.

The routesheet and GPS seemed to match on this section and the great weather meant we were flying along deciding to use garage controls along the way for a quicker turn around.
Oirlo - Rhade passed quite quickly and we were just wondering about a garage control when we passed a car in a field, Adam shouted to me as we passed that it was a control.
It wasn't a control but was a stop where we could fill up our bottles and rest for a bit, after a section with a bit of climbing this was most welcome.

Another stop at a garage at Hengelo for more food and clothes for the evening section it was back on the bike for the last section of the day to Zwolle.
The ride through the National park area south east of Zwolle was great, just a shame it was dark and nothing could be seen.
The roads were still good and traffic free but with no moon it was pitch black, we managed to keep a reasonable speed up due to the track on my GPS showing corners and me calling them out to Adam in front. The hills there were slowing me down though and Adam had broken his front gear changer so was on the big ring for the rest of the ride.
The only dodgy section on this part was the recently gravelled surface for what felt like ages (probably only about 1km) that was really hard work to keep the bike upright on. Every false move had the back wheel squirming all over the place.
We were glad to get to the town and the lights of the hall at 02.20 on Friday morning.
Rough calc's showed we had about 35hrs to do 280km, we were quite pleased with that.
Showered, feed and find a mat to sleep on all by 03.00.

Day 3
Another day awake at 07.00 and away for 07.30 to head northwards this time to Groningen.
We'd not gone far when Adam had a puncture, easily fixed and away again through the picturesque villages. Great looking but annoying cobbles!!!
The only way to ride over them was as fast as possible but with 900km in your legs this is easier said than done.
After turning right along another canal we had a stonking tailwind which meant we were cruising along at 40kph with ease finding ourselves at Groningen at lunchtime, again well ahead of schedule.
More food and water and it was then into the wind along a long section of canal. It seemed to go on for ages and the wind didn't let off all the way to Wartena (S/E Leeuwarden)
The control was in a football club and the food was cooked for us when we got there, we even had a shot of some spirit that definitely warmed us up.
We discussed staying there getting drunk, sleeping and still having time to ride in the morning and finish :-)
We thanked the controllers though and pushed on back into the wind for the final section.

Again another tiring section not helped by the deluge we got from another storm as we passed by a huge lake and over another dyke. Nowhere to hide across there we just put our heads down and rode over. The finish was in sight and after another soaking we arrived back at Zwolle at 21.11 on Friday evening.
Just under 17hrs still of the time limit left so we were both happy, I think we may have been the first foreigners (non dutch) to get back and about midfield.
Shower food and sleep was really needed now.

I got up at about 9 on Saturday morning and riders were coming in all morning.
I had a leisurely breakfast and headed for the station for a train south.
A quick call home was made and arrangements for the evening were made with family in Monster about 10km north of Hoek van Holland.
I managed to get out of Den Haag and find my way there with a few phone calls for directions, a great evening of Chinese and red wine was had then it was up and head south for the ferry the next day.

The crossing going well but quite long, we had hoped for a quick departure off the ferry and a sprint to the station for the train. The timings of the ferry and the trains here aren't good and it was an hrs wait for the next one.

Adam headed off to London and me towards Ipswich at Manningtree, another long wait couldhave been on the cards there waiting for the next train to Needham Market but there was one to Stowmarket about to leave.
A short ride from there was better than a long wait so I jumped on.
It wasn't long before I was at a friends having cider and a welcome bed for the night.

Back on the train again the next morning, this time heading for Cambridge and the 75km ride home from there. All uneventful but a bit slower than usual.

Total riding for the week was about 1400km, I was feeling ok the next day so it was back on the bike for a weeks commuting all be it a bit slower.

GPS track 2
GPS track 3

More photo's from my ride companion Adam.

My Dutch trip - The ride itself (pt 1)

2010-07-22T12:09:00.006+01:00

After looking at all of the bikes and velomobiles arriving at the start (pics at bottom), dinner was eaten and we were all lined up ready to go.
20.00 was the start time and we had a lead out with cars at either end as we rolled along the dual carriageway ring-road.
It was the best audax start I've ever done probably only second to PBP (next year!)
Once we were out of the town we followed cycle-paths N/westwards around the Ijsselmeer and along the Afsluitdijk a 32km dike stopping the sea flooding the area.
I'd been riding mainly on my own along this part as I'd had a puncture and had lost the group but after leaving one group I joined up with Hector (a Greek lad) and we positively flew along here at about 40kph.

After the food stop at Den Oever we (Me, Hector and Adam) headed south passing close to Amsterdam and Den Haag in the dark so no sightseeing. Crossing the Noordzeekanaal as the sun was rising and eventually arriving at Maasdijk at 9.30 for breakfast.
The day was getting hotter and after food and bottle filling (many times!) and application of suncream we were on our way again for ferry number 2 at Maasluis.

The temps were up in the 30s and it was hard to find water stops filling our bottles up at garages when needed. The ride around the paths and park area was lovely and the cycle tunnel under the Maas with glass lifts was brilliant.
The 400km control came rather quickly at Geertruidenberg at just after 15.00 (19hrs) Still in the middle of the field but making good time.

The sky started to darken a bit after we crossed into Belgium and we hid under an underpass at just the right time as the heavens opened. Apparently the storm was one of the worse the area has had for a number of years with trees being uprooted and caravans being turned over.
This made the ride towards Maastricht slow as all the cyclepaths had branches and trees all over them.
Navigation was a bit dodgy also with the routesheet not matching the gps, the track on the latter sending us across fields and along unpaved canal banks. Hector decided to go along a road that didn't allow cycling, me and Adam found another route to the control.
We eventually got to Maastricht a couple of hours later than expected at 01.00 tired and a bit irritable due to the navigation issues.
I was pleased though with a distance of 564km in 29hrs.

Bikely route part1

Various bike at the start (crappy phone pics)

My Dutch trip Days 1-3

2010-07-22T11:41:00.006+01:00

Day 1 (Sun)

Started with me leaving home at about 11.00 and rinding over to Cambridge station. I got there in just over 3hrs with a good tailwind all the way but on arrival I had to wait 1.45hrs for the next train, the first seemingly canceled.

Train journey was without hitch and I got to Harwich with hrs to spare.

I rode around Harwich for a bit, ate fish and chips on the sea front and spent a couple of hrs in the pub before embarking on the ferry and finding my cabin for a shower food and sleep.

Leaving Harwich

Day 2 (Mon)

Disembarking was again without hitch, as cycles were off first and the first train was waiting at the port.

Trains in the Netherlands were rather good for bikes, you have to buy a day ticket for them (6euro) but you can use them on all services without booking a place. It was a bit busy when I was on there but we managed to get on ok. Trains were frequent anyway so it wouldn't have been a hardship to wait for the next one.

Arrived in Zwolle about midday so had plenty of time to kill and after getting the courage to cycle away from the station, I was away and trying to find my way around town.

I found the start location for the ride the next day so it was then around the ring road to find the hotel.

The first storm of the ride got me on the way around and I arrived soaked through. Luckily it was ok to get in the room and get dry clothes on.

As it was still early I decided to have a look around town and get some food, I was amazed at the cycle infrastructure here and must have stood for about 20 minutes watching cyclists going around the roundabout, cars have to give way to cyclists on a lot of roads there and it was amazing to watch from an Englishmans viewpoint.

Cycle lanes along major roads have right of way over all the side roads they cross and cars would stop to let you over even when they were turning into the road you're crossing. It was a bit unnerving to start with but as you got used to it it got a lot easier.

If your cyclepath crossed a main road the traffic on it had right of way but there are cycle crossings next to the pedestrian crossing anyway so you didn't wait for long.

Then it was food, tv and try to get as much sleep as possible for the long day ahead.

Arriving Hoek Van Holland and some Dutch cycle infrastructure.

Day 3 (Tues)

I got up as late as I could before the breakfast closed at the hotel, had breakfast and was out into the town again to await the 20.00 start this evening. I wandered around for a bit and got some food for later at the super market (Ed - all exciting stuff eh!) while waiting outside I spotted an LEL jersey the same time he spotted my yacf one.

Another Brit was in town (Andy Wills) we chatted for a bit and as he was going to a bike shop I went also.

More coffee drank sat in the square looking at all the Dutch ladies cycling about :-) and a ride back to the start location to wait for it to open.

Dutch ladies on recumbent advertising bikes

The long one.

2010-07-10T18:27:00.003+01:00

Tomorrow morning I'll be riding to Cambridge and getting on a train towards Harwich and onto the overnight ferry to the Netherlands.
I'll then be making my way up to Zwolle for the start of the Lowlands 1200km on Tuesday evening.

I think I've got enough miles in my legs this year as I've already done more rides than this time last year. The only thing is this will be my longest ride ever by almost double!!

The route will take me from Zwolle, NE to the coast and then South down the coast towards Rotterdam and onto Maastricht. The ride starts at 20.00 and the plan is to get to Maastricht (556km) sometime late Wednesday/early Thursday. A bed has been booked at the Y/H there and as long as I'm going well enough I'll get some sleep.
We then head up the Maas towards Venlo (659km) and Hengelo (863m) and back to the start at Zwolle (949km) for another sleep before doing the last loop up to Groningen (1062km) and Wartena (1123km) before heading back south to the finish (1216km) Hopefully before 14.00 on Saturday.
14.00 being the cut-off time after which I wouldn't get the points for the ride.

If anyone is interested in following my progress I'll be tweeting along the way which will also update my Facebook page

All going well I'll be back on the ferry on Sunday and back in MK sometime on Monday.
Wish me luck :-D

FSoTM ride #95 4/7/10

2010-07-05T11:33:00.003+01:00

This months ride started in the usual place at the bandstand in Bletchley. Some of the regular riders were missing, choosing to go out on longer rides elsewhere.
These rides were started with an idea about getting people out on their bikes and getting them doing longer rides is also the point of them.

We started a bit later than 10 as I had a text saying Chris was on his way but a bit late.
The route I made up as I went along. Past Tesco and Asda, around Redmoor and through Coffee Hall. Taking the roads and redways through the CMK estates and coming out via the canal by the pub on the Wolverton - Newport road.
It was then onto the very rough track around the back of Linford lakes through a couple of gates and onto the Haversham - Newport road for a good downhill run to Newport Pagnell.
It was a great day for cycling, lovely sunshine and a cooling breeze. I still managed to get sunburned though!!
The redways then took us towards Willen Lake where a slight detour was needed to avoid the crowds at the Dragon boat racing.
At the junction just before the pub I waited for the riders to turn and make sure they new where we were going but some had disappeared.
I went back to look for them, tried a couple of turns and routes but couldn't see them.
Back to the pub to meet the others, on getting there there were no bikes sat out the front and I couldn't see anyone. Gt phone out and rang Chris to find out they were all sat around the back in the garden along with the missing riders who had gone a different way.

After the obligatory cider :-) we were back on our way again with riders turning for home on the way as we passed near to their houses and back at the start for about 13.15

Another good ride with great company, it's still fun doing these rides even though they're short compared to the audax rides I do.
I plan to keep them going as long as people want to turn up, ride and have fun.

The next one starts at Furzton Lake next to the bridge by the MK Bowl and takes the Sustrans path (51) to Winslow and back.
This ride has had a good turnout over the 8 times I've done it so far with the most being 50.
Hope to see you there.

Rich

Get on your bike MK 12/9/10

2010-06-29T11:56:00.002+01:00

This year Carol, a friend of mine will again be organising a charity cycle ride in aid of Cancer Research UK.
It will be the 5th time she has done this and this year promises to be better the the last one.

There will be 2 routes on the day (7 + 15 miles) starting from The Hilton hotel at Kents Hill heading along the Ouzel valley towards Willen and the canal.
The 2 routes will go different ways here, the 7 mile route will turn left along the canal and back to the start. The 15 mile route will turn right and head along the Millennium route around MK and rejoin the other route at Woughton on the Green.
Both rides are very child friendly using the paths in the parks and the redways around MK.

If you want a great family fun day out, check out the website and come along.
Entry can be done online from the website or forms can be got from various outlets.

Hope to see you there.

A non cycling weekend

2010-06-28T08:18:00.006+01:00

Well that was the plan anyway. After cycling over 1100km the last 2 weekends this weekend was going to be a non cycling one. I was looking after the kids Saturday and overnight and the 2 eldest came round on Sunday.
While reading the forums on Saturday I started to think about an overnight ride on Sunday starting about 20.00. It wouldn't be so hot and at this time of year it wouldn't be cold either.
Sunday morning I decided to do a route I'd done before via Peterborough and Royston, it was an easy to navigate route as I'd done the first leg to Peterborough a few times. The second leg was even easier as all I had to do was follow Ermine street in a straight line through Huntington to Royston.

I set off just after 20.00 it was still quite hot but the breeze while cycling does tend to cool you a bit, which is ok until you stop. Keep moving was the plan and I didn't stop until I got to Peterborough at 89km. The route was rolling hills all the way starting as soon as you head towards Cranfield then crossing the Ouse valley towards Sharnbrook. It rises again to Catworth and eventually drops down to Peterborough. Despite the hills I got to Peterborough at 23.30 with an average of 28.1kph. The Tesco garage was shut and so was the McD, luckily there's another 24hr garage at Yaxley on the way out where I could fill my bottles up. It was still warm and I'd got through 2 already.

Section 2 was easy, all I had to do was head south in an almost straight line (roman roads tend to be like that) down Ermine street. Again this was rolling all the way to Royston continuously up and down getting steeper as you get nearer to the town.
Another quick stop was had eating the sandwich I'd taken with me as nowhere was likely to be open, and I was away again. The avg speed had dropped slightly on that section to 27.9kph and I didn't think I'd keep it that high as the last bit was hilly.

Setting off again at about 01.40 I decided to take the A505 all the way to Baldock as it was virtually empty apart from the odd lorry. Most sane people were in bed!
I stopped in the garage and got a couple of cans of redbull just to keep the energy up and it was away again through Stotfold and Shefford on a route I've done many times before, and it was autopilot all the way.
As it was early and the roads were still empty I stayed on the A507 past Clophill instead of using the lanes I usually take. Good job too as while riding along I noticed a car in the ditch with it's lights still on.
Fearing the worst I knocked on the window, the woman inside was ok and not hurt but didn't know what to do. I called the police for her and after making sure she was still ok I carried on (The police said this was fine).
Staying on the A507 all the way to Ridgmont for a change I eventually came to the last hill of the ride after Woburn. It climbs gently up and once at the top it's a fast drop down to Fenny Stratford and back home.

I got back at just after 04.00 and on checking my GPS I'd kept the avg speed up and finished with my fastest every 200 ride.
210km, 7.30 moving with a avg of 28kph, my legs were a bit shaky but I felt fine.
The preparation for the 1200 in July seems to be going well. I think I'm fit enough, I'll just have to manage the sleep time and see how it goes.

Route

Altitude graph (click to enlarge)

East Anglian diy 600.

2010-06-23T11:05:00.005+01:00

After posting on yacf to see if anyone fancied a ride across the fenlands of East Anglia I got some replies and a group of 5 meet at Steves house for the 6.00 start.
Planning a ride for the middle of June I'd hoped it would be reasonable weather and we'd have a good ride round. I was wrong!!

The forecast was for 25-30kph N/W winds, not too bad for a normal ride but in the fens there is nothing to stop it and it's like cycling into a wall.
The first section was ok on the rolling hills of Northants and Bedfordshire getting us to St Neots (75km) for 09.00 a quick stop and it was northwards into the headwind.
It was hard work for me even on the recumbent, it must have been a lot harder for the other 4 on upright bikes. With the wind came showers and we got wet just as we were heading for the next stop near Downham Market.
A friend off the internet had kindly given up here morning to make soup, cakes, coffee and loads of other goodies for us. The soup tasted amazing as we sat behind their car hiding from the rain.
Thanks again Helen

Off again into a direct headwind this time heading the 50km to Spalding, nothing much was to be seen here apart from the odd house dotting the flat fields of the fens. We got to Spalding planning a stop for more coffee in the McD's but got there to find it shut for refurbishment and only the drive trough open (not to cyclists). More garage snacks eaten but there was a cafe not far away planned for the food stop.
On the way there I was at the front through Holbeach when I stopped as the others had disappeared from my mirrors, Steve come flying up and said Lyndsay had been left hooked by some one turning into a shop. It was a tense few moments when I arrived to see her lying down with a blanket to keep warm. She was laughing though so it wasn't too serious.

The police and ambulance came and after 45 minutes of taking statements and making sure she was ok we were off again in search of food.

Still with a tailwind and after sustenance we were off heading for Kings Lynn and Hunstanton, we got there a little later than planned at 20.45 but we were still in time.
The rain started again and as we got to Cromer we stopped in a bus shelter for cover and it was touch and go wether the roof would stay on :-D
We didn't have much time to spare so after a slight detour around the town we were off again heading for another friends near Swaffham.
Adam and Lyndsay were ahead and got to Chris' house about an hr ahead of us. We did stop for Jules to fix a puncture and we got a control receipt first so not havng to go backwards in the morning. We got there at 05.00

Cakes were eaten before getting 3hrs much needed sleep, I was starting to hallucinate on the roads just before we stopped, always fun!
A great 3 course breakfast was eaten (thanks Chris and family) and we were away later than planned at 09.30 it was a much needed stop though.

With a tailwind for the first km of the day we made fast time to another friends for lunch at 12.40, All audax rides should be this civilised :-D
Good food and chat at Annies house for another hr, the rice pudding was so nice I had to have seconds :-D
Annie then joined us for part of the ride to Bildeston and then turned for home again.
We headed over the rolling countryside of Suffolk and north Essex for Saffron walden stopping for a short sleep on a green at Stoke by Clare.
A Tesco garage provided the next control of sandwiches and pies, again.
Then it was through Great Chishill and Royston, these hills were hard work coming near the end of the ride but the down section were brilliant.
I suggested we took the A505 all the way into Baldock so as to miss the lanes and maybe gain a bit of time, we did and it wasn't as bad as it could have been.
A few more lanes were used to bypass the busy A507 before getting back to finish around about 22.30.
The ride was a lot harder than I thought it would be, mainly due to the wind and rain. Even as a ride through the flat fen lands my GPS logged 4510m of climbing.

Congrats to Lyndsay and Jules who through completing this ride managed to get their first SR completed. At times I thought Jules may have stopped and found a station, but he persevered and finished within the time limit.
Another weekend off for me next week, then my local short ride the week after. I hope to get at least another longish one in before I leave for the 1200km ride in the Netherlands next month.

Snowdon and Coasts 400km 12/6/10

2010-06-23T09:35:00.005+01:00

I wasn't sure about doing this ride as I'd heard about Johns rides having a tendency to be hilly. I've done rides in Wales before (BCM600) but so knew I could climb the long drags but wasn't sure about the hills on this one.

The weekend started with a train to Shrewsbury on the Friday afternoon and I found myself sitting in the sun for a few hrs at the village hall surfing the net on my phone.
I got chatting with 3 riders from Yorkshire who turned up and they kindly offered me a lift to the chip shop they were going to for pre ride fuelling.
It was then back to the hall for some sleep before the alarm awoke me at 5.00.

It was a glorious day and the forecast was good, sun and a bit of a N/Westerly wind to slow us down at the start.
This didn't seem to slow the first bunch down though and I managed to stay with them for the first 45km until the climbs at the edges of Snowdonia. I just had to get in a low gear and winch my 16st uphill slowly and try to smile for John with the camera at the top as I went past.
First stop was at Bala 80km in 3.15hrs a couple of Danish pastries + a coffee and I was away again.

The ride climbed again after up and over the bleak open landscapes towards Betws-Y-Coed the day was starting to warm up now and I was starting to feel the heat.
More stops for drink and photo opportunities before the climb past Snowdon and the fast descent down to the next stop at Llanberis

A slight detour took me around the next small hill :-) and back onto the route a couple of km farther along. It then uses roads that I've ridden a couple of times before, but it was nice to ride along there in daylight and not nearer midnight which was usual on the BCM.
This section went well apart from a broken chain (again!!) which was a quick fix, and the ride along the coast past Harlech castle and Barmouth was great in the sunshine with a slight tailwind helping me along.
I sailed straight through Barmouth and across the railway bridge to Dolgellau, where I was surprised not to see any other bikes. I stopped to check the brevet card only to find I'd passed the control (Barmouth)already! I wasn't going to go back so I decided to head for Aberystwyth and ask there what the control was. The plan was to try and get there before Sunset.
There was still a few hills to climb and the last one just before the town was a killer.
I rolled into the control still in daylight at 21.45 (280km in14.45hrs)
The control was in the boathouse of the local club and an excellent spread of food was put on, I did manage not to stop there and start on the cider at the bar and was away again after about an hour for the last major climb of the ride.

The A44 was to take us out of town and at 23.00 on a Sat evening it was more or less empty. It was a good road to use for a night section as it was almost 75km all the way to Newtown without any turn offs.
Another garage control (pies/sandwiches and redbull) had us fed and away again for the last part as the sun was rising through the lanes back to Shrewsbury.
Starting to get tired now I found myself almost falling asleep on the bike, I stopped to get my phone out for some music and tucked in under my shirt.
Playing Metallica full blast as I cruised through the villages and town centre at 05.00 got me a few funny looks, but riding a recumbent I get that anyway :-D
I finally rolled in the finish at 06.00 ready for breakfast and some sleep.
I managed to get about 3hrs before I had to get up for the train home.
The following week was a lazy one off the bike, I took the kids away to Jaywick for 4 days and drunk far too much cider.

312km ride to Yorkshire 29/5/10

2010-06-05T00:40:00.005+01:00

As I had no ride planned this weekend I decided to go and visit family up in Wetherby.
I was shifted to work nights so eventually got home at 07.00 , had a couple of ciders and went to bed. I didn't have the kids this weekend as they were at a party.
I thought about leaving earlier in the afternoon but it would have meant getting up there at some daft time in the morning. So after faffing about all day fettling the bike, eating and watching the weather I finally got off my backside and left at 19.00 and headed northwards.
My planned route was to take me through Wellingborough - Spalding - Lincoln - Thorne and onto Wetherby.

I had a tailwind all the way to Spalding and as it was flat my speed was up which meant I got there in about 5hrs. I just missed the doors shutting at the 24hr McD's but as I was on my bike they wouldn't serve me through the window.
Insurance reasons apparently!!
I was prepared and had food in my bag just in case I couldn't find anywhere to eat, so there wasn't a problem, apart from I'll not be using them again.

The wind had dropped now so it was a calm ride over the flat lands of the Lincolnshire fens, this wasn't to last long though as it turned and started to blow towards me instead.
By the time I was at Sleaford it was full in my face and the rain had started, it only lasted a couple of hrs but was hard enough to soak me through. The wind was to stay with me for the last 90 miles though.

I was starting to get a bit drowsy as I was going through Lincoln so stopped for drink and some more food, this kept me going for a while but by the time I got to Thorne I was starting to feel very tired and was looking for bus shelters and benches to have a break on.
I found one just before the M18 the other side of Thorne and had about 20mins rest there.
This seemed to help a bit and I was away again heading for Selby and Tadcaster. I still had the headwind and it did slow me down (even on the recumbent). It was noticeable though how mountain bikes were going even slower than me as I managed to pass them along the way.

It had been flat all the way from Lincoln to Ulleskelf but then it started to get a bit undulating, not much in terms of Derbyshire or Wales but noticeable after 100km of flat.
The last bit through Tadcaster towards Wetherby was hard work but I got there at 11.00 for a total of 15.40hrs with 3.5hrs off the bike.
25.3kph avg is not bad for a 300km ride but it did seem slow at the time.

This next weekend I haven't got any audax rides planned as it's the 1st sunday of the month and I'm out on my local ride. It's also my birthday so I plan to have a couple of ciders instead. I'll see some of you on Sunday for a beer :-D

Bryan Chapman Memorial 600km audax

2010-05-18T12:12:00.007+01:00

After last years failed attempt and helping out at the control at Dolgellau I was offered free entry for this years ride. So with the Friday booked off work this year it was that time again to head west towards Chepstow and the start of the Bryan Chapman memorial 600km audax ride.
The train ride via Birmingham went without a hitch and it was a lovely 15km ride to the Severn view travelodge. A walk to the local pub with some other riders for food and a couple of pints and an early night ready for the early start the next morning.

The alarm went off at 04.30 and it was a short ride over the Severn bridge for the start at 06.00. The community centre was packed with about 100 riders waiting for the off and after the quick pep talk by Mark we were off.
The first 75km section over to Bronllys was fast and I found myself near the front of the queue at the cafe, the average for that bit was 28.2kph and too fast for me on a 600 but it was fun :-)

After a quickish stop I was on my way again and took the slightly longer route the other side of the river to Builth Wells, this was suggested on yacf as a better route. As I cycled along it almost traffic free I could see queues of cars and fast overtakes on the main road behind people that took the other route. This was only about 2km longer and had a couple of short sharp hills along the way but was much better.
On through Rhyader and over the hills towards Aberystwyth and the next control for more food to prepare me for the mountains of Snowdonia.
These were to start not far after the stop, once past Machynlleth the road started to climb past Cadair Idris. I'm not a natural climber and it was hard work in the sun winching myself upwards. The descent down to Dolgellau was more fun though and I arrived at Kings youth hostel feeling a bit rough but not too bad.
A change of clothes from the bag drop ready for the evening/night section more food eaten and away again for the top loop.
I was called back as I had missed the turn for the station and Barmouth bridge and a dropped chain off the granny ring had me walking a short section uphill at Penrhyndeudreath.
The climb out of Beddgelert up Pen Y Pas was hard work as my stomach was still playing up just like on the last audax where food seemed to be sitting high up and not digesting.
It did seem like I'd slowed down a lot on this section but looking at the time from 2yrs ago I was only about 15 behind that 314km done and over half way completed.
On with the coat and into the dark as I'd spent far too long at Menia. After about 30 minutes I stopped for a rest in a bus shelter as I was still feeling bad. I felt ok when I stopped pedalling just sick when on the bike.
A stop a bit further down the road for another 20 minutes then it was into the rain for the worst section of the ride over the mountain past Llyn Trawsfynydd reservoir and powerstation.
The rain was getting harder now and I was soaked through and cold.
Add to this tiredness and I was ready to pack it all in when I got back to Kings YH.
The descent off of the top was really bad as I was shivering and finding it hard to keep the bike on the road and myself awake also. I eventually got back there after nearly 12hrs (for 160km) and the first thing I did was put on dry shorts and shirt. Then it was eat and sleep before deciding whether to pack or not.
Managed to get a bed just after 5 as they were vacated by some faster riders and woken up at 7.15 to bright sunshine, some sleep and a couple of bacon sandwiches and I was ready to go again feeling a lot better than I did 3hrs earlier.
Stopped at the garage for drinks before the 1st climb of the day up past Cross Foxes. I walked the last 500m or so of it as did a few others, the top speed of the ride was 92.3kph down the other side on the brakes, great fun.

Following the GPS track I missed the next control at Aberhafesp and had to ask a local where it was. Then it was out through Newtown and up over the highest point of the ride, a bit of an anticlimax after all of the excellent scenery of North Wales. Nether or less it did earn me a great downhill section again as I swooped past groups of riders with a big grin.
It was now into the lanes of Herefordshire and they were crap compared to the smooth tarmaced roads of Wales and slowed the speed down no end.
I was looking forward to a section of rollers later that was fun the last time I did it and I wanted to see how I did on them this year. I hit them fast this year and managed to crest about 3 of them in almost top gear but as they come at about 570km into the ride and it's not advisable to do what seemed like interval training on them. It was fun but my legs didn't like it one bit and I walked the last one at Llancloudy.
So near the end but so far from the finish, the last bit along the Wye valley from Monmouth through Tintern and up to Chepstow is only 25km but the 1.5hrs it took seemed to go on forever.

I got to the finish at at 20.20, 30 minutes faster than last time which was a surprise considering how I felt throughout the night section. I had a moving average of 22.5kph over the whole 625kms which was better than the 19.5 of 2 yrs ago.
So far so good for the 1200 in july.

Day one profile

Day 2 profile

200km audax ride to Ely.

2010-05-04T12:30:00.003+01:00

The weather was still bad and after looking out of the window at 05.00 I decided to do a shorter ride than the 300km I'd planned to do up to Newark and back. The headwind that slowed us down on the local ride on Sunday was still blowing.

After breakfast I eventually got out the door and left the garage at 08.00 heading northwards into the wind to Olney stopping for a bit to chat to a friend about his new bike (Bacchetta Giro 26 ATT) the same bike as mine but lighter and faster :-)
At Olney the headwind seemed to still be in front of me as I turned NE and it was the same all the way to the halfway point at Ely. Just for good measure it rained and hailed on me also.

I was hoping it would be a good ride home with a tailwind but this only seemed to last for the ride down Twenty Pence lane whilst heading for Cambridge. When turning right for Gamlingay it was at my side again and felt more of a hindrance than a help.

The ride back through Biggleswade, Shefford, Flitick, up and over the Greensand Ridge and Woburn park was hard work. Whether this was due to the earlier headwind or just my legs still being tired I wasn't sure.
I still got around in under 10hrs with 2hrs off of the bike so it wasn't too bad.
Although I've since found the new rear brake pads I put in after the Severn Across ride last week were rubbing a bit and stopping the wheel spinning freely!!

Moral of the story is "check the bike before you go out on long rides :-D"

FSoTM ride to Salcey Forest

2010-05-04T12:09:00.002+01:00

The forecast for Sunday was horrible so I did wonder if anyone would bother turning up at the bandstand for the ride.
I was there at about 9.50 and just kept riding round in circles to keep warmish.
The bandstand itself didn't offer any weather protection as the rain was blowing straight through it.

2 others turned up and we left a few minutes after 10.00. On the way past Tesco I noticed a rider in my mirror, another mad audax cyclist who happens to be my local councillor.

It was still cold and one of the riders decided to leave us at Granby and head home, the headwind was hard and against us all the way. It was slowing the speed down and making progress hard. Another left us just after Haversham as he didn't want to hold us up.
So in the end it was just me and Andy left to finish the ride, the rain stopped but the headwind kept up all the way there. It did help us on the way back though.

A good ride out, it was a shame more didn't brave the elements but I'll expect to see more than the usual amount out on the June ride. It usually has a good turnout as part of the Parks Trust easy rider programme

Severn across audax

2010-04-26T11:57:00.006+01:00

I was looking forward to this ride this year as it had been moved forward a week on the calendar. The last few years I've been wanting to do it but as it's been on the 1st weekend of May I've not been able to get to it.

The ride was entered well before Christmas and I booked the Friday off of work so I could get some sleep before the start.
I toyed with the idea of cycling the 75km down to the Uxbridge travelodge but decided to get the train to Watford and ride from there instead.
Instead of the roads through the outskirts of London I thought I'd follow the Sustrans route along the old railway and canal.
It started off so well on a smooth tarmac track, after the first couple of corners this changed to the usual stony path, great for wide tyred MTB's but not as good on 700-28 tyres.
I stuck with it for quite a while and the ride along the canal was nice but slow. I had plenty of time and it was a nice day so I didn't worry about it.
The evening was spent watching crap tv and eating junk from Tesco.

Alarm went off at 04.15 and I was out of the door heading to Chalfont by 04.45.
There were plenty of people there when I got there, and after another breakfast we were off heading over the Chilterns and the first Control at Woodstock. This section went really well and the service at the tea rooms was fast. 75km down food eaten and away again before 09.00.

It was then over the Cotswolds towards Tewkesbury, the hills were slowing me down a bit but the sun was coming through now and the views from the hill tops was amazing. Must get myself a small camera that I can take with me, both of mine are too big for carrying on a bike.
The next section over towards the forest of dean seemed to get hard, I wasn't feeling too good as my stomach didn't seem to be working properly. The food I'd eaten at Tewkesbury seemed to be sitting on top and not digesting. Not sure if it was the hot weather, too much drink/food or a mixture of both.
I stopped at a pub "The penny farthing" at Aston Crews to top up my bottle, have a pint (oj and lemonade) to see if this helped. It didn't.
The climbs through the forest were hard work and the 45 minute rest at the Chepstow Tesco control didn't make me feel any better either.

I knew I had to keep going so it was onwards over the Severn bridge and upwards to the Somerset monument, the second walk of the day. The new frame climbs well but at a certain point the gears aren't low enough and I find myself with burning legs and having to stop to put my lungs back in.
A stop at a garage for coffee and crisps still didn't help and an extended stop was had at Membury services, I was there for 1.5hrs and watched a few groups come and go.
I tagged on with a group of 9 others and we chose to go via Newbury along the A4 to Slough.
This was a great route for a night section, wide roads, hardly any potholes and rather flat compared to the lanes and hills going the other way.
A route error took us right through the centre of Reading and past the night clubs, it wasn't bad and I think people were more to surprised to see 9 blokes in lycra light up like christmas trees to give us any trouble.
Every light through Slough seemed to be on red and slowed us down but the chain snapping on my bike slowed me down more. I had all the kit I needed to fix it in my bag so I said the others were welcome to go on without me.
Tiredness, oil and chain tension meant it took another 10-15 minutes to actually get the link to join back together.
It was then up the last couple of hills back to the start for 04.00, more food and some sleep.

I felt a bit better when waking up although I only had 3hrs sleep, more food and coffee consumed while I watched it rain outside and the last riders coming in a bit damp. Then it was time to get back on the bike and ride the 60km home. My knees didn't like the first hill but after warming up a bit I wasn't going too slow and plodded back through Aylesbury and the last hills through the villages home. A good weekends cycling totalling 475km taking this months riding past 1500km.

Apart from the dodgy stomach I really did enjoyed this ride and would definitely ride it again, I'll have to try eating less if I'm using energy drink and see if that was the cause of the problem.
I may even have a go at using just drinks and see how that works.

Below is the altitude chart and gps track of the ride.

More ramblings

2010-04-19T12:28:00.004+01:00

After last weekends 311km ride around Northampton, over the Fens to Red Lodge cafe and with the commute to work. I've managed to put over 1000km on the new bike in the 2 weeks I've had it.
The bike is performing as well as I'd hoped with the new wheels and it seems to climb a lot better than the old frame did, there is no front wheel lift any more and all that's slowing me down now is my weight!!
I'll be in a better position to know how it climbs next weekend after the Severn Across 400km, which goes from just outside London over the Cotswolds to the Forest of Dean, into Wales and back again along the M4 corridor.
Total climb for the ride is listed at 3500m which is not a great amount but there are a few short climbs along the way. I hope to get around in a reasonable time, I'll just have to not chat so much to others at the controls.
There is an option on it to route around the hills/lanes at the end by following the A4 which I may take, I'll see how I feel at the control at Membury services.

Just looking at the calendar and it's only 4 weeks now until the Bryan Chapman 600km ride in Wales, I'll know then how I'm doing and if I'm on schedule for the trip over to the Netherlands for the Lowlands 1200km or if I need more training in the next 12 weeks to get ready for it.

FSoTM ride to Stockgrove

2010-04-06T13:57:00.006+01:00

This months first Sunday ride just happened to fall the day after a 24hr 400km audax and I knew it would be a slow one due to it being one of the hillier rides on the calendar.
The ride started at the bandstand on Queensway at the usual time of 10.00.
There was a bit of a chat about the tyres on Emma's bike. She'd got it from Evans and the person in the shop said it would be ok to put narrow tyres on the wheels that were on there.
It came fitted with large tyres which had been replaced with 28mm ones. These were too narrow and had dropped into the rim making a flat spot, I'd have loved to see the Evans employee try to fit his suggested 19mm ones on there!! Emma decided to come along and see how it went.
After about 3 miles though the tyre was flat so Stuart (her other 1/2) went back to help and told us to carry on.
The hills soon came and I definitely felt it in my legs, it was just a constant up and down. The weather was good for a bank holiday weekend and I soon had to stop and take my jacket off.
After a few more hills the cafe came into site and an egg and bacon roll was calling me in.
Stuart was there waiting for us coming in from the other way but Emma had gone home.

We left again to go up the last hill of the ride towards Great Brickhill with the fast drop on the other side back down to Bletchley.

My legs weren't too bad after the heavy weekend but I definitely felt it on a few of the hills.
I put the GPS track into the programme on here and was surprised with the total climbing of 403m in 30km of riding. Below is the chart and map of the ride.

The next one is on another bank holiday weekend and over a slightly longer distance of 30 miles, see you there :-D

A long ride to York

2010-04-05T11:58:00.007+01:00

I'd been planning to do an Easter Arrow up to York for a couple of years now but have never managed to get past the planning stage.
This year I booked the Thursday off work and 3 months ago I got cheap train tickets back in preparation. All I had to do was find a team to ride with.
I had a diy audax ride planned if a team couldn't be found but 400km on your own at the start of April is hard work.
Fast forward to last week, I managed to get on a team from Norwich as a couple of riders couldn't make it.

Thursday morning I was out in the shed still adjusting the bike after only 2 rides on it. I eventually got away before noon for the ride over to Cambridge to catch a train the rest of the way to Norwich.
The S/Westerly did help me some of the way but it wasn't a fast ride over. I got there at 15.00 but didn't have to wait long for the train at 15.15
The rush hour traffic wasn't too bad in Norwich as I left the station, but I wasn't in it for long and took the lanes to Rogers house just south of there.
An evening spent of pasta and red wine is a good preparation for a 24hr ride.

The alarm went off at 06.30 and after breakfast and quick team photo (Thanks Ian) we were off back to Norwich for a receipt at the Tesco atm for the start at 08.15.
It was a headwind for the 1st leg down to Bungay and across to Mildenhall for lunch, despite this we were still pushing a good avg speed of 24kph. Baked spud with beans and cheese was consumed and we were off again.
This time into the flat open areas of the fens, this meant no hiding from the wind when we had to go into it but a really good tailwind when going the other way.
By 18.00 we were at the 200km mark and the average had crept up to 25.5kph. We found a pizza/pasta place that opened up their restaurant area at the back of the shop for us and another longish stop for lasagne and chips was had.
Some of the team put on dry and warmer clothes for the night section of the ride. I decided to keep mine for York, if it rained over night I wanted dry stuff to wear on the train back.

The flat lands of the fens slowly started to disappear as we got the other side of Boston and at 23.00 we found a pub to sit down at for nearly an hr to get warm.
Back out into the cold night but it didn't take too long to warm up again for the section through Market Rasen and keeping to the left hand side of the wolds to keep away from the worst hills. You still have to climb over part of them though and the hill before the Humber bridge crossing was quite a shock after 300+km of flatlands. I led the way through Barton towards the cycle path as it is not easy to find and I'd done it a few times before. The next section up to Beverley on the dual carriageway was starting to get hard as I was starting to get tired. A quick stop at another garage helped but the hill out of Beverly up to the highest point of the ride didn't.
I was starting to weave about on the road a few times and was finding it hard to stay awake and balance the bike. A quick stop to jump up and down got me going again just as Ian had come to find out where I was.

Next stop was another garage in Howden. This being the 22hr mark/stop we had to wait for 30 minutes before getting a receipt and had to do at least 26km in the last 2hrs for the ride to be completed.
Away again for the last section up the B road to York. This was actually about 36km but we got there with 15 mins to spare.
It was then down to the pub for coffee, fried food and a couple of pints at 09.00
A good way to finish a ride.

The rest of the day was spent mainly in the station waiting for the 15.57 train. I'd booked a late one as I wasn't sure what time I'd be getting there, as a team member or on a diy ride.
There were 6 other bikes on the train, 5 of which being AUK members. 2 managed to get off at Peterborough amongst the hoards of football supporters leaving me, Judith and Ritchie to fight the rest of them at KingsX.
I pushed the bike from there to Euston station as I couldn't be asked to ride(it's close anyway)
and just missed the first train back. The next was only 15 minutes later so not a problem.
I finally got home just before 21.00 on Saturday evening totally knackered and wanting a drink :-)
A quick walk around the garage soon sorted that though and it was a fairly early night as I had to get up for my local 20 mile ride on the Sunday morning.

Total distance for the ride was 80km on Thursday over to Cambridge.
423km. 24hrs in total with 18.13 cycling time and a 23.2kph avg
I really enjoyed the ride and meeting people in the pub afterwards.
I'm looking forward to the 4th weekend in April next year already and hope to get on another team. If any will have me!!

More ramblings...

2010-03-30T00:41:00.003+01:00

No cycling was done this past weekend as I have to balance the long rides with family life. 4 weekends in a row wouldn't go down well!!
Cycle related things happened though.
I got a call on Friday to say the new frame had got to the European distributor in Cambridge so it was dismantle the borrowed bike ready to put in the car for the trip over to swap it for the new frame.
I also went over to the bike shop to get my new front wheel, 3 chains, cable outers and various other bits to replace on it.

After taking the youngest to school I headed eastwards to collect the frame, with a visit to the bike shop again today for headset + BB replacement.
I started the build at lunchtime and have most of the parts on there now, just need to put the cables and chain on and adjust it.

I should finish it before work today (Tues) and will do a couple of shakedown rides before the ride over to Cambridge/Norwich on Thursday and the start of an Easter arrow 400km ride to York on Good Friday.

Pictures to follow once it's built up. It will be the same as my old bike but in RED.
Bacchetta change the colours every so often, I think the first ones were green, they've also been blue.

New bike, another audax.

2010-03-22T10:33:00.004Z

After speaking to Kevin at D-Tek on Monday last week. Collecting the bike (Bacchetta Bellandare) and building it up on Wednesday to ride to work.
It took me 2 days to get the position correct, 1st I tried it with the seat off of the Giro on it but with the pedals being low you can't get the seat reclined far enough to be comfortable. I put the recurve seat that came with it on and you can see why it is the seat supplied, I was still trying to ride it tilted back too far and on Saturday morning I put it up a notch as I left home at 4.30 for the ride over to Cambridge and the start of the End of Hibernation 200km audax ride.
I did wonder if this bike would be suitable for audax riding being a LWB as you don't see many people riding them for long distances. But it did surprise me on that count.

Last year I left home at 5.00 for the ride over and got to the start just as every body was leaving, This time I was away earlier just incase. It still took me 3 hrs to ride the 60km to the start but that does include the ride over the Woburn hills at the start to slow me down.
Coffee and jam sandwich consumed at the start and we were away, I made my way though the field and got in with the second group until I was starting to get too hot with the jacket on and decided to stop to remove it.

The first control was at Stradishall at about 100km my avg speed at this point was 24kph. I'd been using maltodextrin powder in my bottles again so as I wasn't hungry I only brought a drink from the shop next door and was away again.
The next section had a couple of climbs, 1 I walked as the front dérailleur wouldn't drop to the small cog (needs adjusting some more) and it followed the valley through to near Stowmarket.
I picked up some speed on this section and when I got to the next control (160km) my avg had gone up to 26.4kph.
Egg and beans on toast consumed and it was into the wind for the next section to Finchingfield in Essex, this section just seemed to keep going up and down never letting you get in a good rhythm finally getting there at 15.00. Still not hungry I settled for a double mint choc ice cream and a look at all the motorbikes that go there weekly. My bike was geting as much attention as some of them though :-)

Still more hills towards the finish and another one walked just before the final control, I was up over 2hrs on last years time when I got there and the organiser was surprised to see me so early. A good feed and chat with friends saw me there for over an hr and it was 20.00 before I left for the 60 km ride home.
I knew it would take me longer to get back as the wind was against me going that way. I hoped to get back before midnight.
The first hill on the main rd out of Cambridge was a drag but after that it was flattish until getting near to Woburn again and the climb up to the deer park there. I always worry about going through there at night as I can see the deer very close to the road looking at me doing about 10kph uphill and I'm always waiting for one of the stags to charge me!! It's never happened yet and probably unlikely to anyway but those antlers look like they could be painful stuck in the wrong place!!

I eventually rolled into the garage for a receipt at 23.30 with a final total of 340km. The avg of 24.2kph did surprise me as it's not a lot different to rides on the Giro and the Bellandare could be a good audax bike for people that don't like the high pedals of the Giro.
If it was mine I'd end up doing some mod's to it like chopping the foam seat to make it a bit more comfortable for me. My legs (Hamstrings) tended to hit the front of the seat making them to move differently to what they are used to causing some muscle ache. This could be prevented by putting the seat up another notch but this would be to upright for me.
The upright seat would be good if a front fairing was fitted though as it would stop the wind drag from the upright body position.
All in all it did impress me on how it handled the distance and as I'd only done 40km on it before the ride so wasn't sure how it would go.

Audax ride to Chipping Norton

2010-03-16T09:46:00.004Z

The forecast was looking good for the weekend so I got my act together and sent of an email of the planned route to Andy (my area diy organiser) and was up at 6 to get ready to go out on Sunday morning.
I was out the door by 8 but with fettling small bits here and there in the shed I eventually got a receipt at 8.40 and was heading along the A421 out of Bletchley.
My route took me out through the villages towards Bicester and onto Chipping Norton. As you pass Bicester the terrain changes as you get towards the Cotswold's and it starts to get hillier.
With the Giro still out of action I'd taken the front faired trike out, this was a good choice in the wind but the extra weight was a drag on the hills. I arrived at Chipping Norton at about 12.30, 4hrs to do 70km was slow but I'll put that down to wind, heavy equipment and beer :-D

After getting the obligatory cold pie and sandwich from the supermarket I spent 30 minutes chatting and waving to friends that were out on the Chiltern Cotswold 200 audax.
I left in a group of 4 for the next hilly section but that only lasted for about 2 miles out of town when I found a nice downhill and disappeared into the distance at 80kph. I was expecting them to catch me up on the next uphill but they never appeared in my mirror again and or routes split as I got to the A40.

The next section between Minster Lovell and Didcot was SW so the headwind I had earlier turned into a great tailwind and I found myself spinning out the gears at about 40kph for most of the section.
I stopped at Didcot to refill my bottles again and then headed around the lanes to Wallingford, my next control. I had a problem getting a receipt here as the bank ATM's I went to either didn't work or had no paper in them. As I don't now the town I couldn't find anywhere open, so now I'll have to see if my GPS track can be used to validate the route to prove I went there. It will match the other receipts regarding time and place so I can only try.

The last section took me back northwards through Thame and Aylesbury and it seemed to go on for ages not helped by the lack of decent lights on the trike. The IQ fly on the front is brilliant but if you have no power to it, it will not work :-D ( must fix the dynamo!).
The lanes around Aylesbury were dark and it was almost impossible to see the potholes in the road with the flashing front light and a head torch.
This again slowed me down and I eventually got back to the start at 20.30, just under 12hrs out 9.30hrs moving with an average speed of 22kph.
Not great but not too bad on a heavy trike and a total of 3221m of climbing.

New frame update,
The new Giro frame coming over from the states will not be here for another 2-3 weeks :-( I was hoping to get it in time to build up for next weekends 350km audax and the 400km one at the end of the month.
All is not lost though as I sent a cheeky email to Kevin at D-Tek recumbents (Little Thetford, nr Ely) asking him what he had that I could borrow for a couple of weeks.
I got a reply and he is going to lend me a new Bacchetta Bellandare that he happens to have in stock, so that I can give him a verdict on how it fares on long rides.
LWB recumbents are more likely to be found stateside and have never really got a following over here, in Europe we tend to go for the SWB and lowracer type of recumbent.
Here is a page of the different type of recumbents for those who are not sure what the hell I'm on about :-D.

FSoTM ride to Stewkley

2010-03-07T21:47:00.003Z

This morning I was up early as I had to transplant the pedals and bag from the Bacchetta to the trike before leaving to go to the start of my local monthly ride.
After a week of no riding whatsoever as I'd managed to pull a muscle in my lower back at the gym doing bent-over rows (Yes I know exercise is meant to be good for you:-) ) I wasn't sure how it would hold out.
Today's route went around the villages to the south of Bletchley and 9 other riders turned up with another couple joining us en-route.

The weather was excellent for an early March ride with the sun out all the way. It was a bit chilly in the shade and the field run off was frozen across the road in places. No problem on the trike but the upright riders were a bit slower across it.
We made good time stopping at various points/road junctions for riders to catch up and were at the pub 15/20 minutes before it opened.
There was a discussion on whether to ride to another pub but price of beer and which pub to go to took to long and the one we were at opened first :-D

After a pint and a chat we were away again and it was a mostly downhill route back to the start, which when we arrived there was only 2 of us left.
Riders tend to peel off on the way as we pass closer to their homes and it saves them riding back again.
A good day in good company and it's always fun doing shorter easier rides.

Now to get out in the shed and take the Giro to bits ready for the rebuild when the new frame gets here, and I need to get out on the trike this week and do some more miles as next weekend sees me doing another 200km audax and the weekend after is a 360km one. Hopefully the new frame will be here before the 400km ride at Easter.

The wait starts

2010-03-03T14:04:00.002Z

After the bike breaking incident on Sat' I spoke to the man from Lt Thetford (Kevin @ D-Tek) to get the ball rolling. Pic's were taken and emailed around the world (Bacchetta HQ, USA) awaiting a response.
I got a call yesterday (Tuesday) saying that I'll be getting a new frame as soon as a new one comes in stock. They should be getting them in this week and it will probably take another 10 days or so to get it shipped over here. There may even be a new front fork thrown in for good measure.
Bacchetta are renowned for their customer service. This is the second time I've had to contact them but I can say that the service I've had from them is second to none.

Now all I have to do is strip the old frame down ready to rebuild the new one replacing parts that need doing on the way. I'm currently thinking about getting a new 700c front wheel built to match the rear and while I'm at it and maybe try some shorter cranks also.

In the time being I'll have to put the pedals back on the trike and have some fun on that instead.

Kennet Valley Run 200km + 100 km

2010-02-27T20:33:00.004Z

The plan was to cycle down to Reading on Friday as I had booked the night off.
I eventually got on the bike at about 13.00.
After leaving the wind was getting harder and faster so instead of cycling all the way to Reading I decided to only go as far as Oxford, this changed as I rode along and I only got to Bicester instead :-)
I got on a train there to Oxford and on to Reading from there, arriving in the town centre just as rush hour was starting.
The ride to the travelodge was uneventful really apart from taking the wrong road out of town and doing a slight detour up a hill!!
The evening was uneventful also as Friday night tv is crap. Thank god I work nights!!

I was up at 6 and away for 6.40 and heading for the start of the 200km ride. I arrived with plenty of time for coffee, toast and chat with the other riders before the off.
The ride started well in the bunch and I was going well and making good time to the first control at Hungerford.
At about the 40km mark I had to ride over a bit of rough road due to a van on the other side of the road, I usually try to avoid the worst surfaces but couldn't this time and I felt a change in the handling on the bike.
I stopped a bit further up to check the tyre etc but couldn't work out what it was.
Every time I pushed on the pedals I could feel the frame flex and knew something was wrong.
On arriving at the 50km control I took a beter look and found the frame had snapped!!!
That was the end of this ride.

I ended up getting the train from Hungerford to London, walking up the Euston road and getting on the train back to Bletchley and home.
I've spoken to the shop that I got the bike from and a new frame shouldn't be a problem :-)
At least it didn't go half way up a Welsh mountain in the middle of nowhere on a mad 600km ride or on the 1200km ride in July.
The RRTY (200km ride every month) has gone pear shaped this year now but not to worry I may still be on for the recumbent points record, I'll have to see how it goes.

More ramblings

2010-02-21T20:27:00.004Z

It's still coldish here and I've not really done much cycling this month apart from the usual commute, I've even used my mums car a couple of times :-D.
I did go out last Sunday planning to do a 200km ride via Peterborough and Royston.
I was up in good time but after 20km or so my feet were like blocks of ice, mainly because the zip had bust on my overshoes and I'd not got around to getting a new pair.
I'd got to the A422 at Astwood and turned left for a ride around MK instead.
On the plus side I popped over to Phil Corley cycles for some new cleats, overshoes and innertubes and got them at an excellent price. I've been going there for ages and can't recommend them enough.

On another note and to compliment my long distance cycling this year, I've gone and joined the local gym. The last time I was a member of one was about 17yrs ago!!
Even though I've only been going a couple of weeks I can feel and see the difference, in cycling and in body shape. The leg work is definitely making it easier to push the pedals up the hills.
Hope to keep it up and will see if it improves my overall times on the longer stuff.

Next long one is this coming weekend where I've entered the Kennet Valley Run, a 200km ride from just south of Reading to Bratton and back.
Depending on the weather the plan is to cycle down there on Friday and stay at the travelodge, do the ride on Saturday and ride home the same evening making it a 300km ride altogether.

FSoTM ride Woburn via the woods

2010-02-13T07:10:00.007Z

Last Sunday saw the FSoTM riders do the woods loop again.
I do this ride twice in a year, clockwise and anticlockwise. This time it was the slightly easier anticlockwise.
The weather had been awful again in the week but Sunday turned out to be a nice day, not too cold for this time of year.
Seven of us started from the bandstand for the ride along past the canal and up to the first hill towards Gt Brickhill. Once at the top the route takes a fairly easy undulating path through the villages of Lt Brickhill, Woburn, Aspley Guise and Wavendon before coming back to the estates of MK.
The ride seemed to be going well and we were passed the planned pub stop at least ½hr before planned. So to save us waiting it was decided to carry on and reach one later on along the route.
We then made our way to the pub stop at Caldecotte lake for beer/coffee before we all went our separate ways.

I'd also like to say, It was good to see Margaret waiting to join us at Little Brickhill, she hasn't been on one of my rides since she had an accident back in August 2008 where she was knocked off her bike and hospitalised with a fractured skull amongst other injuries. I'm glad she is still getting out on the bike as a lot of people would be too worried too after such a bad experience.
Keep at it you are an inspiration.

This weekends route can be found here on bikely, as can all my routes if you search for FSoTM or silverbackcycler.

Next months ride will be on March the 7th and will go around the villages to the south of MK including Drayton Parslow, Swanbourne, Dunton and Stewkley.
Hope to see a good turn out.

Training!!

2010-02-03T10:13:00.002Z

I've been passing the local gym daily for ages now taking/collecting the kids from school and going to work etc. Today I went in and joined!!
I used to go to one in the leisure centre regularly but I've not been in one since about 1993 and in that time even with the cycling I've slowly managed to put on 3 stone!
Will have to start looking at which exercises are good for cycling now.
Google here I come :-D

The Willy Warmer

2010-01-25T09:02:00.004Z

Sunday saw me out on a 3rd outing of this wonderful route, the last 2 times I've had 1 completion and 1 DNF.
The DNF was because of knee ache caused from the pedals I had on the trike at the time.

The ride starts at Chalfont St Peter, a town in the Chilterns just outside London. My choice this year having no car was to either cycle down on the Friday night have a few beers and stay over in the hall or as it was only 55km away get up early and cycle down.
Although the first choice was very tempting I decided to cycle there and back and make it an Extended Calendar Event 300. I was going to be doing 260km with the ride home after anyway.

My alarm got me up at 03.30 and I was in no rush so was out of the door and getting a receipt at 5.15, allowing myself just under 3hrs to get to the start.
The ride took me through Aylesbury for another receipt and I got to the start at 07.30. Just as everybody was leaving (Message to self, check start time next time) The start was 07.30 not 08.00 oh well.

I was away 5 minutes later after getting my brevet card and riding up the wrong road. GPS works wonderful as long as you are following the track the right way. Luckily I was only 50m or so up the road when I guessed I was going the wrong way.
I'm not mad enough (yet) to enter the "scenic" route that bypasses the towns and takes in some nice hills so took the main road option out through Marlow and Henley. The recent weather meant there was a lot of water and debris on the roads and I was passing quite a few riders that had stopped to fix there tyres.
The hills on the first half didn't seem as bad this time around and I was managing to get up them slowly, as usual on audax rides I find myself yoyoing (sp?) backwards and forwards past the same rider. I'd pass them on the flat or at speed downhill only for them to pass me on the next uphill section, the joy of being a 100kg+ recumbent rider.
I seemed to be doing really well and got to Hungerford (1/2 way) at just after 12.00. I had been trying out some new (for me) energy drink and it was working well as I hadn't wanted any food so far but decided to stop anyway. I just had a bowl of soup and a coffee and was away again 45 minutes later.
I was still going well over the hills towards Kingsclere and got to Winnersh 220km at 16.15. It was starting to get dark now and the temp was dropping so after spending an hr here chatting and getting warm it was back out into the cold for the last section back to the start control.
After crossing the M4 for the 6th time it was over the last few hills along the edge of the Chilterns again to arrive back at the start at 19.15, were I sat chatting again for far too long as per usual. I had plenty of time to do the last 60km home so as long as I got in before the time limit at 02.00 I'd be ok.
I dragged myself away from the warm hall and coffee and headed homeward I was getting a bit tired now and my legs were starting to feel heavy. The chain on the bike had been squeaking since about 3/4 of the way round as it was dry even though I had oiled it before the start, my rear brake had also worn out completely due to the water and grit on the lanes of the first half.
This was slowing me down on the twisty lanes but I got back to the garage to get a receipt at 23.15.

Total distance was 322km with a ride time of 13.10 (24.5kph avg) a max speed of 74.1 and 4hrs 50 sat down eating and chatting.
I've put the gps log of the route onto bikely and after looking at the altitude from the route it's no wonder my legs ached at the end.

The new drink worked well, it was just maltodextrine powder mixed with lucozade sport which I found did me more good than other more expensive drinks I've tried. It mixed well and could hardly be tasted in it. Mind you Lucozade is very sweet so it does need watering down anyway.

Weather

2010-01-19T23:31:00.003Z

Hasn't it been fun the last 3 weeks or so!! Mind you the snow only stopped me from riding home from work on 1 day. I had been working all night the 1st time it snowed and it was too deep for the trike to get through. I walked home instead :-D
It was a lovely morning watching the sun rise as I walked along the canal side.
The walk was 10km (6.5 miles) and it only took me 1hr40 which I thought was rather good.

The next morning it was -6c and I got a lift in but did ride back again after.
The trike was good on the ice and compacted snow and I was keeping up with the other traffic on the gridroads. At some points they were holding me up.
I've still been doing the daily commute, some of my co-workers think I'm mad others just know I am and just except it. It's not that bad and as long as you have the right clothes cycling in below freezing temps is ok.

Due to the weather my 1st planned 200km ride of the year from Oxford was cancelled. It wasn't going to be easy, probably not even possible to ride the lanes over the Cotswolds.
This weekend sees another attempt at an audax with an extended calendar ride.
This is a 200km ride with 100km added on to it so I can ride to the start at Chalfont St Peter and back again when I finish.
If the weather holds and it doesn't snow again I'll be on the Bacchetta. Being lighter and faster than the trike it will be easier to climb hills and finish in a reasonable time (hopefully).

Also this week I've entered and paid for the ferry tickets to go over to the Netherlands in July for "The lowlands 1200".
As the name suggests this ride should be good on the recumbent although I'm reliably informed that there is some climbing on the southern section around Maastricht.
Now I just have to get out on the bike and get the miles in.

FSoTM ride to Stony + Whaddon

2010-01-03T22:22:00.004Z

Well it was the 1st Sunday of the month and the 1st Sunday of 2010
I wasn't sure how many would turn up as the temp' was hovering around 0c, I arrived at about 10 to 10 and there was one other hardy soul waiting for me. Within 10 minutes another 7 had turned up. 9 riders is a good amount for a cold winter ride and after saying happy new year to each other we were off before we got too cold.

The paths were a bit frosty in the shade so it was a bit slow and steady for a while, I was on the recumbent trike so no chance of falling off for me, Dave also had the same idea and for once I wasn't the only one on a funny bike :-D
Navigation was easy on the first half of the ride to Stony, all we had to do was keep the A5 on our left until we got there. We stopped a few times to re-group along the way though as the ice was slowing some down, rightly so as I don't like having to call an ambulance out to a fallen rider.

We were going well though and got to the pub stop 1/2 an hr before it opened and decided to carry on instead of hanging around in the cold. Further round most people said they didn't want to stop at the pub so close to home so we split up as some were closer to home than others and we took the redways back towards Bletchley.

The redways seemed slippier (is that a word?) the ice on the new tarmac was better to slide the trike around the corners with the back-end fishtailing all over the place.
Yes I know I'm 42 but it's still fun :-D
2 more left as we came to the golf course and by the time I'd got to Bletchley I was on my own again so was home by 12.30

It was good to see so many out on a winter ride and it's why I still do these rides, I'll have to count them up but I think it will be the 100th ride in December.

I've started logging the rides on my GPS and putting them onto Bikely.
Just put fsotm into the search and they will all come up.

Happy new year

2010-01-01T02:26:00.002Z

Happy new year to all :-)

I'd hoped to start the new year with a ride but I'm working today and the trike is at work with a pun***re! I got a lift home yesterday as I didn't have a spare tube or any glue in the pun***re kit!
First rule of cycling carry a tube and something to repair it with if it goes again, Doh!!!
I will be riding home after I've got a lift in later today, with a new tube :-D

This year I'm not making any resolutions as such, but hope to do more riding, lose some weight and hope to complete the planned 1200km ride in the Netherlands in July.

The first FSoTM ride is this weekend and goes from Bletchley to Stony Stratford and back, next weekend I'm riding to Oxford on the Friday for a 200km ride on the Saturday and then riding home again after. Must be the silly season!!

Hope you all have a good new year and year of pun***re free rides, see you out on the road soon.

Rich.

A Cold Sunday

2009-12-20T12:32:00.002Z

I'm glad I did a ride last weekend as the weather looks like long distance cycling will not be fun for a while, if not impossible.
The snow here has mostly gone from the roads but the cold weather and frozen slush on the side roads makes cycling a tad dangerous.
The Bacchetta is under wraps in the shed as I'm now riding the trike. It keeps my lower body a bit warmer and of course I can't fall off of it unless I go mad around a corner.
Last years fall on the ice on Dec's FSoTM ride happened so quickly I was sliding down the road before I knew anything about it. Luckily the only damage was to the mirror on the bars and not me from the following car.

I'm still an all year round commuter though and the 10km ride over to Tongwell is still fun if a bit cold to start with.
Wrapped up with a woolly hat and winter gloves, a buff for face protection and the fairing on the trike the journey is not too bad. I even find myself unzipping the coat as I'm getting too warm.
The coldest ride last year was -9c, it's not been that cold this year yet but the wind chill from the fairing onto my face is probably colder at 30+kph.

I may manage to get out for another 200km before the year is over, I'll have to see what the weather is like the Sunday between Xmas and new year. If not it will be the Jan 3rd FSoTM ride as the next one.
Hope you all have a good Christmas and new year.

200km to Ely

2009-12-13T23:48:00.004Z

I had put this ride on yacf to see if there was anyone who wanted a ride out as there's not a lot on the calendar this month.
It was a route I've done twice before so knew the route well.

While reading the forum on Saturday I saw a post on there about gps validated rides and free entry to test if it works. Being a tight cyclist the saved £2 went on cake :-D
I sent of my entry form and route by email and got the ok to ride within 30 minutes.

Alarm got me up at 06.30 and was all sorted and out the door by 08.00.
No need to stop at the garage this time for proof of passage so it was straight through MK across junction 14 of the M1 and towards Olney. Again I rode straight through as there was no need to stop and get a receipt. This saved me 15 minutes as I usually by a drink and chocolate.
It was a bit cold today and the northerly was biting. I stopped briefly the other side of Sharnbrook to have a drink and flapjack. Can't drink on the bike as I still haven't put the cages back on there after changing the seat.
1st major stop was at Grafham water cafe for a coffee and sausage roll, just in time as it started raining just as I sat down.

A quick stop as the damp clothes were starting to get cold and clammy, back on with the coat and away over the A1 through Buckland and on to Huntingdon. Another 15-20 minutes saved here as I again rode right through.
Past St Ives up the hill to Haddenham and towards Ely, the headwind most of the way slowed me down slightly but I still got there in just over 5hrs, 107km with an avg of 25.4kph.

Decided to have some food here so it was garage or Little Chef? Settled on the garage food as it was cheaper :-D
Chicken and bacon sandwich and a Mars bar eaten (we cyclist no gourmet food when we see it :-D ) and I was away again, hopefully with a tailwind.
I got the tailwind, but also got freezing cold rain as well. Fun on a recumbent when you can't put your head down and use the hat to protect your face.
Luckily it was only showers that had stopped by the time I got to Wilburton.
Twenty pence lane was the joy it always is with the traffic, everyone seems to be in a rush.
The rolling hills started as I crossed the A14 and passed to the left of Cambridge.
A stop at another garage for a quick drink and comfort break was had before I took my life in my hand in the low blinding sun, worrying that the cars behind could see my. I kept an eye on my mirror and was ready for a quick bailout into the verge if one got too close!

The still rolling roads got more rolling as I neared Gamlingay, another control passed and I was making good time. Stopped at Shefford to top up bottles and drink some energy drink before the couple of mile fast section along the A507.
It was dark now but a lot earlier than expected, and the drink was starting to work.
Passing Clophill and Malden I managed to find some lanes almost all the way to Flitwick where it was back onto the A507 for another quick section.
More rolling hills up towards Woburn and through the deer park scattering deer as I went!

The faeries were hiding in the cattle grids as I passed over them and the second one got me, I always carry spare tubes so it was off with the wheel and insert new tube.
It was starting to get cold stood by the side of the road and I must have looked odd standing there steaming in the cold air pumping my minipump against my leg 10 to the dozen!!.
One car did stop and ask if I was alright/did I need anything. There are some decent people about :-) the rest must have been to scared.

Another 20 minutes wasted there and just up the road as I had to stop again due to the bead not being sat properly on the rim. Rushed jobs by headtorch don't save time whatsoever. Take time and do it properly the first time.
It was then just a ride through the woods and down the duel carriageway back home.

The ride was a fast one (for me) 10hrs with 2hrs stopped. 25.7kph avg.

GPX file was downloaded to the computer and emailed off to Danial, his reply was as quick as the night before and he said all was ok and the ride was off for validation.
That saved a lot of time without having to use stamps and envelopes to post the card off.
If this trial is a success it will save a lot of time in route checking, collecting receipts, and sending them.
I hope it does.

Every morning

2009-12-08T11:46:00.007Z

Every morning I walk the kids to school, what amazes me is the amount of people who drive their little darlings in when the only live just up the road.
I can pass people getting in their cars on the way, arrive there before they do and while I'm walking back I pass them getting out of their cars afterwards.
The parking is really good as well with people blocking the drop kerbs and parking on paths.
I'd hate to be in a wheelchair going along there and having to wait for the inconsiderate muppets to come back and move their car out of the way.

And don't get me started about the amount of people who I see daily in the procession of cars on the phone. I may sit there one day with a video camera and see how many there actually is.

And breath.......

Ride to Woburn loop via Wavendon

2009-12-06T22:31:00.005Z

Another instalment of my First Sunday of The Month rides took us the reverse of the February ride around parts of the Greensand ridge through Aspley Guise, Woburn and the Brickhills.

I was awoken by rain battering the bedroom window at 08.00 this morning and did wonder if anyone would turn up today. By the time I'd had breakfast and a coffee it had cleared up and was looking to be a nice day (for Dec' anyway).
Arriving at the bandstand I found another rider there already and within 10 minutes there was 8 of us. A good turnout for a December ride. Last years ride had only me and another rider turn up and IIRC it was -3c and the roads were very icy.
The ride took us through Fenny Stratford and down Simpson road to the canal bridge, the red light caused us to stop but one rider decided to ride "Illegally" on the footpath with a call of "you'll never learn" or some such thing.
We crossed the bridge and turned right as he headed into the distance, he'll never learn :-)

Stopping the riders at the top of the path I went and found him by Caldecotte lake and brought him back on route. After going back to get the others we were on our way again along the redways towards Wavendon.
The ride starts to get hilly after Salford as it goes up past the church in Aspley Guise and the rolling roads to Woburn.
We stopped at the top of most hills for the riders to catch their breath before going again.
Doing the route clockwise is slightly harder as it takes time to get to the top and most of the ride seems to be climbing.
After stopping someone going off route down a big hill (wouldn't want to see him climbing back up again) we found ourselves at the pub in Great Brickhill. The 2 pints were most welcome and so was the roaring fire inside.

It was then on with the jacket as being mostly downhill from then on I knew it would be cold.
As we got back to the Bandstand the group was down 4. The others having taken shorter routes home as we came to the end of the ride.
The gps showed almost exactly 20 miles and 1hr40 moving time, we were out for just over 3hrs.
Another good ride in good company and one new rider who I hope will come along again.
See you all on next years rides.

300km to the AGM

2009-11-30T13:11:00.003Z

I've been trying to write this for a couple of days but it just seems to come out as, cycle stop eat cycle etc. A bit bland.

I had booked 2 nights off work (Thu-Fri) last week so that I was able to take a ride up to York mostly in daylight instead of doing an overnight ride like last year to Guildford.
In a straight line York is about 260kms away so I entered a route via Lincolnshire and the Humber bridge.

Alarm got me up at 02.00 for a quick breakfast and I was away after getting a receipt from the garage at 03.15.
The temperature was cold with a SW tailwind but I'd expect nothing less for a late Nov' ride, last years was in frosty conditions.
I headed Northwards towards Billing for the next garage control which was shut, the cashpoint was working though so I withdrew some money, had a quick snack and drink and was away again.
After getting lost on the Wellingborough ring road again I found the right road out and headed along the Nene valley towards Oundle ticking villages off as I went.
A sausage roll and pint of milk brought and away again following the gps around the town to get onto the A605 took me the long way.
It was then onto part of the LEL route through Wansford over the A1 north of Peterborough and up to Bourne on the A15.
The rush hour was in full swing now and the roads were starting to get busy. Another stop in a garage for a sandwich and coffee to try and warm up then back out towards Sleaford via some back lanes.

Found Sainsburys but was feeling a bit blotted and didn't feel like eating the food I'd brought so it was just a milkshake and stand about in the cold for 10 minutes which was making me shiver.
Had to get going again to warm up so it was a fast ride out of town and into the quiet 4 number A roads of the L-E-L route again through Lincolnshire and over to Wragby, I arrived there at 13.00 and was well in time so decided on a cafe stop and try to warm up.
Sausage, egg, chips, beans and a coffee ordered I found myself not hungry and only managed half of it, not like me at all as the people who know me will tell you.

The next bit up towards the Humber bridge and Beverley really seemed to drag and the uphill parts were grindingly slow, this part seemed to take an age. I got lost again in Barton trying to find the bike path to the bridge. I've crossed it 3 times so far and have taken a different route each time. This time I ended underneath it!
By the time I did cross it I found myself in the Hull rush hour, the traffic was nose to tail around the ring road but I just kept up with it and headed to the planned stop at Morrisons supermarket as I new it would be open.
Again I didn't stand around for too long so as soon as I had the usual audax food of a pasty and 2 Danish pastries I was away again at 18.00.

I'd ridden along the A1079 before to York so knew what to expect but the 30mile continuous up and down and cold temps were starting to get to me and I was just wishing it would hurry up and finish. With the welcome to the city of York sign passed I knew there wasn't far to go but it seemed like ages before the first signs of houses appeared. It was then a quick blast through town and the racecourse and a bit of fun trying to find the racecourse centre. I finished at 20.40

The bike was then put in the stables with the others and I was off to get changed and get a cider or 2 to rehydrate, knowing I had booked a train 3 months ago for the return journey :-)
Total distance was 317kms. 17.30hrs total time with the gps showing about 3.5hrs stopped.

More ramblings

2009-11-16T12:14:00.005Z

Another weekend of non-cycling. Family does take priority sometimes :-D
I had the 4 youngest on Saturday, the weather was atrocious but in between showers we walked around to the shop.
As the kids were being blown about I couldn't help thinking "This S'Westerly wind would be amazing if I was cycling up to York now, I'd get there in record time" (for a 250km ride)
This cycling lark does get you like that sometimes, either that or I've completely lost it.
I think the latter applies!!

Spent the morning changing the seat on the Bacchetta Giro26 back to the euromesh seat that come with it. The Optima hardshell seat on there had cracked so needed changing before it fell apart with me being miles away from home.

Just need to sort the rear wheel out now as it's getting worse.
Will be looking at changing it over from 559 (MTB) to 700c (road) this will raise the seat up slightly and may help the problem I have of the front wheel lifting on steep hills.
It may not though and it's probably easier to walk when it gets that steep as my lungs can't get enough in for the exertion and I usually end up a swearing/sweaty/panting heap at the top anyway.
More training needed!!

On another note my bike has just passed the 15000Km mark since I got it 18 months ago.
It's no surprise really that the rear wheel has given up! with a lot of the distance done on very badly surfaced roads and also having to carry my 100+kgs and baggage about.

Upper Thames 200km audax

2009-11-09T12:28:00.004Z

The new season started last weekend and as I'd one of my local rides to do my first audax was this week.

The Upper Thames ride was the first 200km+ audax ride I ever did and I've done this ride 4 times now. Each time forgetting how hard it actually is.
As it starts at Sonning Common a few km north of Reading at 07.30 I'd decided to book the Friday night off work and cycle down to stay in the Travelodge at the M4 services. These rooms can be had for as little as £10 if booked online in advance, I got one for £20 and was sharing it with another rider.

I left home about midday and headed for Aylesbury and Thame, not wanting to cross the Chilterns too high up I decided to go Via Benson and Pangborne. This wasn't too bad as it only meant climbing halfway up the hills and not having to cycle through Reading town centre.
The rain held off for most of the journey but it was a headwind all the way, the zip on my bag gave up which meant I had to lace it shut with the cord from the top of it. Not very waterproof but it had to do. I got to the Travelodge at about 5pm damp and a bit tired.
In a way the heavy rain at the end of the ride was good, it meant I wasn't going to go down the pub a mile or so away and stayed in the room eating a Burger king royale meal instead. Not sure if that was any better though!!

Alarm was off at 05.45 which was better than the 04.45 that driving there would have meant.
Out into the darkness at about 06.30 through a quiet Reading and up the hill for the start at 07.30. Just time for coffee + biscuits, toast + jam, say hello to friends etc.
Then back out again and away with the bunch of just under 100 riders, most of which left me on the first hill and the start of the climbs through the Chilterns before dropping down from Christmas Common to Watlington at eye watering speed.
The first control was at the cafe at Waterperry gardens Northeast of Oxford where it was just a quick stop for coffee and cake and away again for the next round of hills up to and past Long Crendon and Ashendon but bypassing Brill by going through Luggershall instead.
Comfort break at Bicester services and more drink purchased for the next rolling leg to Chipping Norton. This was the first time I've managed to get there before the chippy shut so it was pie and chips eaten outside the Sainsburys for me :-D

Next leg was again rolling through the Cotswold hills and down onto the flat area past Brize Norton to cross the Upper Thames just south of Bamford. I was going well on this section and was doing nearly 40kph when my rear tyre exploded!
This didn't take long to sort as I always carry spare tubes and bits of old tyre to cover the hole from inside which would otherwise mean a long walk or a damaged rim.
Tube and tyre fixed I was away again with only about 10 minutes stopped.

It was starting to get dark by the time I reached Milton and the garden centre cafe. 1st time I've managed to get here before it has shut and in almost daylight. More coffee and cake consumed.
Coat, gloves, hat + head torch, lights etc put on as it was dark and the temperature had dropped, glad to be moving again as standing about with sweaty clothes on was starting to make me shiver. My GPS didn't like the next section and wouldn't route maybe because of the lanes used at the end not being on there. It kept freezing and the only way to fix it was to take the batteries out and start it up again. Luckily I had a tracklog on there as well as the route so was able to follow it, the route sheet in my bag also helped.

The lanes around Didcot were dark and started to go upwards again as we came back around to the start and re entered the Chilterns.
I was starting to get tired at this point maybe due to the extra kms on the Friday, so I stopped at the start of the last hill for an energy bar (which surprisingly tasted good compared to the usual ones I've eaten) and some drink. Then it was off again for the last few kms to the finish.
I took the main road again this year as I have done every other time, maybe I'll try the quiet lane/hilly route next time. Maybe not :-D

I got back in at 19.30, not the quickest of times I've done this route in but about my usual time out for a 200km ride.
Excellent soup at the finish got me ready for the ride downhill to the station and train back to London.

1st train I missed as I was at the wrong end of the platform :-D never been on one from Reading before. I got on the next one as they are very frequent at about 1 every 5 minutes it seemed.
A quick ride although not the quickest route from Paddington to Euston gps route took me above Regents park and not along the Euston road. Onto the 22.30 Bletchley bound train which was packed just like the tube with no room to move, again luck was on my side and most people got off before I needed to, I had visions of not being able to get the bike past the crowd and having to go all the way to Northampton!!

All in all a good weekend.
Now just need to find a new rear wheel, a new tyre and a new seat (starting to crack) before the ride up to York at the end of the month.

FSoTM ride 1.11.09

2009-11-09T11:46:00.004Z

A week late posting this as we are now past the 2nd weekend of November.
The forecast was terrible but I thought I'd get up and go down to the bandstand to see if there was any other mad people there.
There were 3 others braving the downpour. Chris, Stuart and a new rider that I've forgot the name of, I'm terrible with names and sometimes can't remember people who have been on these rides for ages :-D

It was still raining at 10.10 and as nobody else had turned up we decided to start.
The route took us south down the A5 to start with and once we got out in the open the side wind and rain combined stung my face and soaked through my waterproofs, good start!
Stuart decided not too be daft and turned round at this point as he was soaked, leaving the 3 of us to carry on.

The ride up through Little Brickhill and Woburn had on and off showers and the wind was sort of helpful, in places pushing us along. Quiet lanes with few cars were fun but the short section of the A507 never is, but there is no other way around unless the mileage is added to.
Arrived at the almost empty cafe at Marston Vale for a coffee and cake stop and it was back on the bikes before the damp clothes made us too cold.

The ride back through Cranfield was interesting and the strong headwind almost stopped Chris dead in places. He had to pedal down the hill!
We didn't stop in the usual place at Salford this time as we decided to get nearer to the finish and stopped at Caldecotte lake instead. This made the 2 pints more enjoyable and it was then only a quick ride back to Fenny Stratford to finish.

GPS log of the route on Bikely.com

Hope to see more out on Dec 6th.

Last audax of the season

2009-10-26T10:43:00.002Z

After getting rid of my car earlier this year as it was starting to fall apart and would have cost me more than it was worth to fix it. I've had to look at different ways to get to audax rides.
Some can be got to by train but that usually means a change or 2 at London or Birmingham, not much good for early starts or just a day ride.
Some of the closer rides I can cycle to if they are around the 50km mark. This way I can make a 200km rides into a 300km rides. I've done this a few times on Cambridge and Oxford rides.

This weekend I decided to ride over to Stevenage for the 100km Emitremmus Desrever (summertime reversed) a big ride that has been running for 15yrs on the wekend the clocks go back.
My alarm got me up at 06.00 and after faffing I was away from the garage at 7.30 heading for Woburn and Flitwick, past the hills around Sharpenhoe and on towards Hitchen. The GPS worked well and got me around a police road closure without any effort.
The roads got busier as I neared Stevenage but were no different to MK, I hooked up with another rider and he guided me round the cycle paths to the start arriving just after 09.00.

As my start time wasn't until 10.10 I had a coffee and a look at all the bling bikes that were out for the day. The ride starts in groups so not to annoy the local traffic with 300+ bikes on the road at once.
I was in the 4th start group and after a quick photo we were away and quickly out of Stevenage and into the rolling hills to the east. With the GPS bleeping away I hardly looked at the route sheet and was keeping a good pace. At one point though the rider in front turned right and the GPS told me to turn left, I followed it and then right at the next junction, seeing riders ahead I new I was still on route.
At the top of a small hill I decided to stop and remove my long sleeved jersey but had the feeling I'd missed something. Checking my brevet card I found I'd missed the first control, bugger! Back down small hill turn left and then go the way the other rider had up to the cafe and join the long queue to get the card stamped.
Away again and on towards Saffron Walden for the lunch stop, the cafe had a long queue so it was a pasty from the costcutter across the road and a quick getaway. The GPS didn't like the follow road option for the ride back, Probably due to the cycle paths near the end.

The hills kept coming and it was over the highest part of the ride nr Barkway which is always on rides around this area onto the next stop at a village hall in Therfield which was one of the best tea stops I've had on an audax. I believe this one was organised by the local WI and there was a good selection of sandwiches, cakes and drinks.
After dragging myself away from the food it was back out again to find it was noticeably colder, so it was back on with the top and away again.
5 minutes up the road it was on with the jacket as the rain started, thankfully it was just a quick shower and it wasn't needed for long.
Past the info control and onto the cycle paths trying to follow the routesheet (under underpass 19 turn left to underpass 23 etc) would have been ok apart from only underpass 19 had a number on. I did find my way back to the sailing club though and it was a quick coffee and away again for the ride home before it got too dark.

My route back took me back along Stevenages main roads and along the old A1 to Baldock Tesco for a sandwich and drink refill. Only needed to use parts of the A507 as most of the way you can go through the villages next to it.
It started to get dark around Clophill so it was all lights ablaze and onwards, good lights are a must this time of year and the B+M IQfly on the front of my bike is excellent. Along with the head torch other road users must wonder what's coming towards them.
After the short climb and fast descent through Woburn park it was only a quick ride through the woods left to do and I was back at the garage at 18.30.

Next ride will be next weekend with the 30 mile FSoTM ride to Marston Vale cafe and then the new season starts again with a 200 from near Reading.
Lets see if I can beat this years point :-D

More ramblings.

2009-10-18T21:41:00.003+01:00

Another few weeks of hardly any cycling here, The usual commute to and from work is all I've done since the FSoTM ride.

While not cycling I've been surfing the net and there's loads to keep busy over the dark evenings
The cycle forums are always good for info and chat. The few I frequent are
yACF Yet another cycling forum
BHPC British Human Power Club
BROL Bentrider online

Some of the blogs I visit (too many to list here)
Yehuda Moon a daily cartoon.
Dave Hembrow an Englishman who now lives in Holland.
Ecovelo Eco friendly cycling
The recumbent blog A blog about recumbents :-)

And more records drop at the velodrome in Apeldoorn, Holland.

I also found a video of myself on the redway photographic project site that I did back at the start of the year.

Next weekend I'm going over to Stevenage for a 100km ride. The ride there and back makes it up to 200km though, so will be my long one this month.
I've not managed to get my Super Randonneur* award this season as I've missed out on a 400km ride. The 3 rides I gave up on would have been ok but that's the way it goes.
This year I've managed to get 34 points with the audax rides I've done, the same as last year.
I was hopping to get over 70 but things were against me this year, hopefully the next one will be better.
The new season starts on Nov' 1st and I've already arranged rides and booked holiday at work up until May already.

* A 200km, 300km, 400km, 600km ride

FSoTM ride to Cranfield

2009-10-05T11:20:00.006+01:00

Another month, another First Sunday of The Month ride.

These rides started off in 2002 (pic on right) when I did 4 short rides with the Parks Trust of around 10 - 15 miles. The riders were telling me they would like to do longer ones but the MKCTC rides of 40+ miles were too far and too fast for them.
I decided to start a monthly programme of rides around MK to get people out and show them how easy it was to cycle around MK and the surrounding areas.
Some months when it's snowing or raining I only get 1 other mad person turning up (you know who you are) but usually there's between 9 - 15 riders on a variety of bikes from mountain bikes to recumbents.
It has been known for as many as 50 to come along on the MCR and Winslow rides.

To me these rides are doing what I want them to do, get more bums on saddles. People who were apprehensive about the distance and going out on the roads are now doing the longer rides at the end of the year. They've then started to think about getting a better bike and doing longer rides, commuting and even longer stuff.

This months ride started out from Bletchley as usual and got eventually onto Simpson road after a slight detour as I'd lead the way towards Tesco instead of towards Fenny Stratford which was the way I'd usually go. Past Willen and on through Newport Pagnell, I was shown a new route through there which bypassed the town centre using the riverside path and will use definitely use it on other rides.
It was then along the rolling gentle climb up to Cranfield to then turn into the wind to drop past the airfield and the pub stop at Salford.

Just 1 p#nct#re in the group this time but as it was near the stop Chris decided to just pump it up and fix it over a beer, twice!
The first time we couldn't find the offending object but on better inspection and a pair of pliers a small piece of wire was removed and all was well.
Then down through Wavendon and Walnut Tree and back to the start with only 2 people left. Others took shorter routes home as it was easier and quicker for them.

What I like about these rides they can be adapted on the day if the riders or weather changes, if some are tired we can miss out the last hill or if it's snowing or -2c I'll not take the lanes through the woods etc.
It's also great fun to get out with friends and like minded people.

It would be great to see more people out, so if you fancy a short ride just turn up at the bandstand on Queensway in Bletchley and join us for the ride.
Next years rides

Up to Sunny Scunny

2009-09-27T23:12:00.005+01:00

Had the Friday night booked off work and my alarm set for 04.45 on Saturday morning ready for the 3rd annual 600km ride organised over on yACF. The last 2 yrs these rides have been on have had 6-10 people on helping them get their there first SR and others just for the company.
I posted it again this year and had a few interested people but as time got nearer they had to drop out due to "real life" getting in the way. It was only me and Steve Abraham outside the local garage at 6.00 this time for the start.

As it was just us we decided to do a quick ride straight up the main roads through Wellingborough, Kettering and past Corby towards Oakham for the first control. A quick stop at another garage to refill our bottles and onto the windmill cafe at Wymondham.
100km in 4hrs most of which was non stop undulating hills.
The next section started off with more hills but got flatter as we neared Lincoln. We had to walk our bikes again through another closed road where a bridge was being rebuilt.
I managed to snap my chain while negotiating the traffic in Lincoln, but as I always carry a chain tool this wasn't a problem. Apart from greasy hands!

More drink brought and on again along the ridge northwards out of Lincoln, it was getting hotter as the day progressed and I was having my doubts about finishing watching Steve disappear into the distance as I dragged my 16+ stone up another hill.
Uphills always mean a downhill section and it was a fast blast down the A18 into Scunthorpe and into a Morrisons for dinner at 16.00. Back on the bike ready to go, that feels odd! front wheel puncture, bugger!
Back up the hill we'd just shot down but at a much slower pace! as we headed for Caister I could see the ridge ahead with the road up the side of it then the 10% sign!
I didn't walk but it was hard work in the late afternoon sun and almost in the bottom gear. Any slower or more vertical I find the front wheel lifts and I nearly fall out the back!! Lol
Once on the ridge there were great views across the Lincolnshire plains as the sun set.
Another fast downhill and another climb up out of the town to mack up the height I'd lost again.
As darkness fell we got to the flatlands of the fens around Boston where we stopped at another garage for more food, bottle refills and a rest.

It was getting late now and as we left Boston at 22.00 the roads were starting to get empty so it was another A road blast down the A16 towards Spalding and a McD coffee.
Slight mishap while going along there though. One minute I was riding along quite happy then the next I know there's a noise like a tyre scrapping along brick and I fall in the grass verge!
I must have shut my eyes momentarily moved left and hit the kerb, It definitely woke me up.

Quiet lanes towards Wisbech had both of us getting the dozies and a quick stop on a bench at about 1am sort of sorted it. The sky was clear now and the stars looked great from the laidback position of the recumbent. It was getting cold now though.
We eventually got to another garage for more drinks and it was away again to the planned stop at Ely getting there just after 3am.
As the garage was shut Steve put his card in the machine for some money, nothing happened.
I then tried and mine, windows is rebooting. It stayed in there never to be seen again!!

We managed to get 3hrs sleep and were up again at 7 into the chilly, foggy morning and a Tesco breakfast consisting of a cold sandwich and a drink.
Onwards towards Red Lodge Cafe (nr Newmarket) for proper fried breakfast then Northwards to Swaffham. The roads around Brandon were now getting busy and there were a few impatient muppets on the road.
More food and drink consumed sat in the sun watching the good people of Swaffham stare at my bike as they went past. We were across the road eating and Steve wondered if we could set a remote speaker up on them to make a loud bang at the push of a button. May have to try a walkie talkie next time, "this bike is alarmed, step away from the bike".
Another quick blast down an A road, this time the A47 and it was downhill to the next junction and a left turn for Downham market.
As we approached Downham Market the area started to get flat again and after there it was flat, the tailwind in places had the riding speed up to 32kph for fairly long sections.

The rolling hills east of Cambridge and into Bedfordshire were starting to slow me down now and the miles were starting to be felt in my legs. Another quickish stop at Biggleswade and the homeward stretch along the busy A507, not too bad though as it is a very wide road. The climb up through Woburn park was hard but I crested the hill just before a car had chance to pass me, it never made it as I accelerated down at 70+kph.
Downhills are always fun when you've had to slog your way up first.
It was then just a ride through the woods and down the A5 to arrive back at the start garage at just after 19.30.

Cycle comp showed 628km, total time out was 37.5hrs. 10hrs of those were off the bike though. With a ride time of 28.13hrs and an average speed of 25.9kph it makes it my 3rd fastest ride this season, I'm very pleased with that beings as it was a long ride.
All in all a good weekend.

Things learnt,
DO NOT ride a 600+ ride wearing shoes that you brought the day before. They will hurt your feet.

Delivering a lorry to Doncaster

2009-09-21T13:35:00.005+01:00

The week started off at work with an email about taking a lorry to Doncaster. Opened MS autoroute to work out the distance back, 210km. A plan is hatched :-)

I emailed them back and said if they pay me 1/2 a day I'll take the lorry up early on Sunday morning with the bike strapped to the back and then cycle home.
I got comments about being mad, but they knew that already and it was OKed.

Was up at 05.00 and out the door just before 6 and rode over to work. I managed to get the bike inside the cab so that sorted the problem/worry of it bouncing down the M1 if I hit a bump.
I arrived at Donny unloaded the bike and went to find the local Tesco's for food.
I was away at 10.20 heading southwards through the town centre and going the wrong way!
GPS's are great if you load the route on to it in chunks of routes of only 50 points and not try to do one route for the whole route.
Didn't hear the thing bleep at me and was further along the road than planned so had a slight detour around past the airport.
Back on route and towards Gainsborough for a coffee then following the Trent towards Newark and a McDonalds lunch knowing the next section was going to get hilly.

Leaving Newark was ok but I found myself on the wrong side of the hill at Belvoir so had to winch myself up towards the castle and around the other side. Wasn't sure if I could get back onto the planned route easily without backtracking as some roads were not on the GPs.
I then saw a sign for the next village so I followed it and was pleased to see the route I should have been on and as I was on top of the ridge it was an easy ride to the next stop at Oakham for the audax staple of garage sarnie and milkshake.

I couldn't be bothered with the lanes towards Desborough so followed the main road towards Corby which is quite rolling! At one point I was doing 80kph downhill and could see the person in the car behind me looking at her speedo and talking to the passenger. The car came past me on the next straight bit with a couple of kids giving me the thumbs up with big grins on their faces.

The roads got a bit busier as I went towards Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough and they seemed to get more hilly as the ride went on.
As darkness fell cars started to give me a wider birth and the rest of the ride through Olney and back through MK went without problem.

Total for the day was 226km (16km over distance for a diy is not too bad) which I did in 11hrs with 2.20hrs off the bike eating, resting at the top of hills and generally faffing.
I averaged 26kph which is slightly faster than the usual speeds and the 2nd best avg this year.
I spent most of Monday eating though! always get "THE HUNGER" after an audax ride.

Now to get ready for next weekends 600km to Scunthorpe, Boston and a loop round the fens. Think I'm looking forward to it! I'd only be drinking at a wedding celebration anyway if I was not out riding! Lol.

Records keep going

2009-09-19T11:55:00.004+01:00

Sam Whittingham does it again. Last night he broke the record again and reached 82.82mph.
This is the 10th time he has set a new record in the 10 years the event has been running.
He wasn't the only one to break a record though, Barbara Buatois riding the Varna Diablo 3 clocked a speed of 72.534mph then on another ride she clocked 75.46 to become the fastest European outright and the fastest woman ever at the event.
Greg Westlake went 41.5, 42.3, then 43.49 for a new arm powered trike record.

Copied from the battle mountain thread on recumbents.com

Some historical perspective of the significance of tonight!...

THURSDAY Sept 18, 2009 EVENING SPEED TRIALS RESULTS
BATTLE MOUNTAIN, Nevada
Speeds emailed to me by Craig Johnsen, Chief Timer

SAM WHITTINGHAM, 82.819 MPH, 133.284 KPH, Varna Tempest
WORLD RECORD - 10th time setting a record at Battle Mountain, on the event's tenth anniversary! The fastest cyclist in the world! It's Sam's 7th time being timed over 80 mph on the course. Only one other challenge remains! ... Sam, the first man over 70, 75, 80 mph has his sights on 85 mph. Short of that, can he be the first over 135 KPH or 83.9 mph? Sam is and continues to be phenomenal! He is The Man at Battle Mountain! Before Battle Mountain, the record for human powered speed stood at 68.723 mph, 110.593 kph by Chris Huber a professional cyclist in the Cheetah. This was set in 1992 in Colorado. Sam raised this mark by the following amounts with (year): 72.41, 72.74 mph (2000), 76.61, 77.03, 77.59, 80.55 mph (2001), 81.00 mph (2002), 82.33 mph (2008), and now 82.43 mph, 82.819 mph (2009). So he's personally increased the record by over 14 mph / 22.68 kph in ten years.
Note: The newly repaved stretch of Highway 305 outside Battle Mountain, which the racers have raced on is contributing to higher speeds. Significant lobbying was done by the event organizers Al and Alice Krause, working through NDOT and the local town of Battle Mountain to make this happen!

BARBARA BUATOIS, 75.458 MPH, 121.437 KPH, Varna Diablo III
WORLD RECORD - FEMALE, EUROPEAN RECORD, First Lady over 75 mph, 120 kph, becomes 4th fastest cyclist in the World, matches feat of being 4th fastest in the One-Hour. Georgi predicted 75 mph (120 kph) was possible by Barbara at the Ford event. Historical Note: Barbara achieves speed of 75 mph once thought to be the upper limit of human powered speed predicted by a computer in the 1989 if you cloned two Fast Freddy Markhams, put them in a Double Gold Rush, which later built, and took them up to 11,000 foot elevation in Colorado (over double Battle Mountain's 4600 foot elevation) with the maximum 2/3 of 1% downslope allowed. This was published at the speed championships that year.

Sam and Barbara duplicate their feat of setting both Men's and Women's One-Hour records on the same day at the Ford Human Powered Vehicle Challenge, two months earlier on Sunday July 19, 2009. Team Varna is the first HPV team to have both Men's and Women's Top Speed and One-Hour records. Georgi Georgiev, the builder of these wonderful Varna masterpieces, must be so proud!
Note: only one other time has the Men's and Women's 200-meter record been set the same day at Battle Mountain. This was on Tuesday of the first year of the event 2000 - when Sam (72.41 mph) and Andrea Blaseckie (54.04 mph), Sam's wife, both set records, the first world records set at Battle Mountain.

YANNICK LUTZ, 73.067 MPH, 117.590 KPH, ALTAÏR2
PERSONAL BEST, stays at the 7th fastest cyclist in world spot, Fastest student-built vehicle ever, French Men's Record. No university built machine has ever gone over 70 mph before IUT Annecy - University of Savoie in France achieved this feat, five times now at Battle Mountain. Yannick is a 36-year old, experience recumbent rider, who is considered a "test pilot" for the bike, and can help improve its design with his feedback. He is currently taking graduate classes at the university and is managing a shop in his spare time. He is very strong rider, though as Philippe, their teacher has pointed out, IUT Annecy has a few students that are in national team, and 3 former students are actually road biking professionals and did the Tour de France 2009.

ERIC WARE, 71.070 MPH, 114.377 KPH, Wedge
Personal Best, Joins 70 mph plus club, becomes the 8th fastest cyclist in the World. Team Eric Ware, Mark Anderson and John Jackstone have made it a historic five riders to have topped 70 mph at one event at Battle Mountain! Participants and observers are happy for Eric and Mark Anderson, they came to Battle Mountain last year, and worked almost 20 hour days for six days straight and only got one run in with the top off. Now all that hard work has paid off! Their new Mueller Windwrap fairing head bubble too is working well.

GREG WESTLAKE, 43.495 MPH, 69.998 KPH, Avos Arrow
WORLD RECORD, Arm Powered, 4th time in event, Historical note: exceeds the first legendary leg-powered HPV record of 43.02 mph by Ron Skarin in 1974. Ron was pedaling Dr. Chet Kyle's upright streamliner. He was an Olympic cyclist, later in the Hall of Fame. That speed started off the modern-day human powered speed championships. Now Greg, using only arm-power has exceeded that!

RON LAYMAN, 66.595 MPH, 107.175 KPH, Primal II
Personal Best, joins 65+ mph club. Becomes 17th fastest cyclist ever. Ron is approximately 27 years old, an alumni of Cal Poly where he first began racing these form of speedbikes at Battle Mountain in 2004. he came agonizingly close to 60 mph with a 59.9 mph run that year. Last year he came back as an alumni and topped 60 mph 3 times. This year, he goes over 65 mph in a updated version of the Primal 1 he rode last year. The Primal II has the head bubble removed for a smaller frontal area. George and Carol Leone, advisers of the Cal Poly HPVs, are behind the design of Ron's last two bikes.

ROB HITCHCOCK, 60.663 MPH, 97.627 KPH, Kyle Edge
below his Personal best of 63.91 mph in 2006, but showing increasing speed as the competition continues one more day. Rob showed similar speed improvements that year as well. The Kyle Edge was designed by Matt Weaver in 1990s when he was just 24 years old. Eight years later Matt raced it to 78.02 mph in an infamous duel with Sam Whittingham at Battle Mountain 2001. Sam first exceeded 80 mph that year. This vehicle is still the 2nd fastest HPV in the world. It was designed to achieve laminar flow and uses a video camera for the rider to navigate.

Mike Mowett
IHPVA Records Committee
Check out my list of the world's fastest at
http://www.wisil.recumbents.com/wisil/fastest_list.asp

New HPV world record 82.4

2009-09-16T13:28:00.003+01:00

Sam Whittingham last night rode his fully enclosed streamlined bike to a speed of 82.4mph at the WHPSC (world human powered speed challenge) in Battle Mountain, Nevada.
Last year he reached a 82.33mph, this year hopes to be better as the road has been resurfaced and more records could go be broken before the week is out.
Barbara Bautois broke the womans record by 3mph but with an illegal wind speed.
I'll be watching with anticipation.

Sam writes on his blog

Mon, Sept 15, 2009 11:30pm NEW WORLD RECORD 82.4 MPH!!! Evening Runs. Perfect Weather (almost!) Tonight was the first real test for team Varna at this years event. We loaded into the truck at about 4pm and headed south to our asphalt arena with the usual anxiety about what might or might not be possible this early in the week. The sun has been shining hard and the wind low. Barbara, in the Varna Diablo III was first off in the first session. She had a bit of a shaky beginning with several miss-starts. We where to learn later that she was having some trouble with the gears, which certainly was not helping! She had an otherwise very good run and went an amazing 69mph! This is faster than the previous women's record of Lisa Veterlain (sp?) by 4 mph. However, the wind was just slightly to high. The record is sure to fall officially in the next few days. I headed off the second heat at about 6:40 just as the sun was beginning to set behind the mountains. The tarmac was still warm and the winds where non-existent. The stage was set for a record but was I? As many people know, I tend to get faster as the week goes on. The dry air and elevation of 4600 ft always takes me 5 or so days to get used to and needless to say I am still feeling a bit sluggish. I was also distracted by the fact that the front tire we are using was becoming dangerously thin in places and I could see the actual thread in under the rubber! Nothing to do but hope that it held for one last waltz down the dance floor. I went quite hard but not maximum. I was missing the "kick" I rely on for most record runs. Even so, I managed to hang on for a new record. I can only hope that we have similar conditions throughout the week as I get my form and confidence. 85mph would be nice wouldn't it? I think I will put on a new tire first………………. All runs had legal wind except Barbara Otherwise record count would have been 2! * Sam Whittingham, Tempest 82.4 (with poohball guy) * Barbara Bautois, Diablo III 69 (illegal winds) * Fred Markham, Mephisto 75 * Yannick Lutz, Altair II 70 * Jason Erickson, Varnator 67 * Eric Ware, Wedge 65 * Larry Lem, Scimitar DNF (Mechanical?) * Specter 57??? (unsure. Cleats coming out. Flat tire right at end in catch!!) * Bobby Erman Cal Poly Atlas (unsure of time) * Barclay Henry White Backslider (unsure of time) Another Salad bar dinner at the Owl club, one celebratory pint of Fat Tire Beer (or as our french friends keep calling it "Flat Tire"), glue on a new tire and off to bed. Tomorrow is a new day……………

FSoTM rides 2010

2009-09-12T21:59:00.003+01:00

Cycle Rides from Bletchley.2010.

Start at 10am from Elizabeth Square Bandstand, Bletchley.
Rides are approx 20 miles.Unless stated otherwise.

Jan 3rd. ~ Ride to Stony via Whaddon.

Feb 7th. ~ Ride to Woburn via Great Brickhill (a few hills).

Mar 7th. ~ Ride to Stewkley via Swanbourne and Dunton.

April 4th. ~ Ride to Stockgrove park café via Leighton Buzzard (a few Hills).

May 2nd. ~ Ride to Salcey Forest café. (30 miles).

June 6th. ~ Ride around the Millennium cycle route, (Parks Trust)13 miles starts at Furzton lake (At the bridge by the bowl).

Jul 4th. ~ Ride around the back of Linford lakes and return via Newport. (Parks Trust)

Aug 1st. ~ Ride to Winslow using Sustrans Route 51 (Parks Trust)18 Miles starts at Furzton lake, (at the bridge by the Bowl).

Sept 5th. ~ Ride around the lakes of MK. (Parks Trust)

Oct 3rd. ~ Ride to Marston Vale Forest Centre café (30 miles).

Nov 7th. ~ Ride to Stockgrove via Wing (30 miles).

Dec 5th ~ Ride to Woburn via Wavendon. (A few hills).

(Parks Trust) listed rides are rides put on in conjunction with
The Parks Trust as part of their Easy Rider rides programme.

These rides were started to get more people out on their bikes,
And to show how easy it is to get around MK
And the surrounding areas.

All the rides are taken at a pace to suit the slowest
With plenty of stops if needed.

Children are welcome
But under 16’s must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

The rides will use a mixture of surfaces so robust tyres are advisable.
The rides use the redways, shared use paths and quiet roads where possible.

You are advised to
Ensure that your bicycle is in a roadworthy condition.
Carry a puncture repair kit or spare inner tube.
Bring along a drink or some money to get something at the stop.
(Which is usually about half way or so).
Helmets are a personal choice,
(I’m not going to stop you riding if you’re not wearing one).

Note:-
This ride is not a race or trial of speed.
The route is on open public shared-route paths and roads.
You are expected to follow the rules of the road and
show consideration to other road/path users.
Although lead, the route is not waymarked or marshalled.
The organiser provides no rescue service.
You are responsible for your own safety/conduct.

For more info on any of the rides
Contact
Rich Forrest
bletchleycyclerides@tesco.net

Another weekend and another FSoTM ride

2009-09-12T20:52:00.004+01:00

Last weekend saw me and 11 riders meet at the bandstand in Bletchley for the September edition of my First Sunday of the month rides, This one was in conjunction with the Parks Trust Easy riders programme and was a ride around the lakes of MK.

I'd been on the go since 5am as I was out early with some other riders helping put signs up along the Millennium route around MK for the Cancer Research UK charity ride.

The FSoTM ride took in nearly all of the lakes around MK starting by heading for Caldecotte lake then along the river past the OU and Walton Lake. Keeping to the right of the river helps here as there are no cattle grids to go across on that side.
Around Willen lake, We were going to stop here for coffee but the jetski national finals were being held there. On through Willen village and past Tongwell lake and a stop at Blakelands shop.
From here we took the old railway line that used to go from Newport Pagnell to Wolverton and met up with the riders doing the longer loop of the Cancer ride.
Tried to confuse them by then going the other way to them at a junction :-D but none followed us. I would have told them honest.
A slight deviation to the planned route took us over the A5 to Wymbush and around the other side of the Lodge lake and bringing us to The Talbot at Loughton.
Have always had good service here compared to the Fountain Harvester up the road, who seemed to want us weird cyclist types out as we were taking up seats that could be used for more profit.

On around Teardrop lakes and Furzton lake leaving only Mount farm lake to do before heading back to Bletchley and the start of the ride.

Back home for more food and I was away again with just the eldest as I'd said I'd collect the signs that were put up earlier.
This took longer than expected and we were out until gone 7 but that did include a stop at KFC for a snack :-D

I'd managed to clock up over 60 miles just riding in circles and the eldest did a PB of 45 miles. Really good considering he was riding a heavy BSO (bike shaped object) and wearing jeans.
Must try getting him in Lycra! the thought of it might be too much for an 18yr old though :-D :-D.

That long....

2009-09-04T15:01:00.004+01:00

...since I last posted! Must try harder.

I've kept meaning to post on here but haven't had the time this last month what with cycling - family - cycling - family - playing with my new Garmin Legend GPS - family and 12hr shifts at work.

Since the last post I've managed to get a couple of 200km+ rides in. One up to Market Harborough - Daventry - Thame and back and a longer one of 290km over towards Downham Market to meet some friends from yacf for lunch. I seemed to have sorted the shorts problem out as I've had no trouble on the last rides I've done.
I should've worn something underneath them on LEL last month.

Last weekend I cycled over to Mildenhall cycle rally and had too much cider, then it was over to Essex for more cider :-D and back home to have the kids for three days and more cider!!
Damn Tesco, 30 cans for £10!! Weight will go up again :-D

Tomorrow is another FSoTM ride which starts from Bletchley and goes around the lakes of MK.
Also tomorrow there will be the Cancer research ride around the Millennium cycle route.
Hope to see plenty of people out on both rides.

I've also got another 600km ride coming up later this month up to Scarborough and back via a loop around the fens. Hopefully the weather will be better than I've had on the 2 I've tried so far this year.

From the Cycle Touring Club (CTC)

2009-08-11T16:31:00.004+01:00

There are always some people who aren’t very sympathetic to cycling. Normally they’ve got preconceived notions of what cycling is, what cyclists are like or what cyclists should do.

Q1: Cycling’s dangerous, isn’t it?
Facts:
Among men the level of obesity has increased by 39% in the last 10 years
At current trajectories 6 out of 10 people will be obese by 2050, costing £49 bn
per year
Obesity and diabetes are linked to heart disease and strokes
A third of people die from an illness related to physical inactivity
Cycling is one of the easiest ways of introducing exercise to the daily routine of
people who aren’t regularly physically active
Since 2000 cycling in London has increased by 91% and the number of cyclists
injured has dropped by 33% since the mid-1990s
75% collisions involving cyclists are caused by driver error so the real danger on
the roads comes from drivers

Health:
• The health benefits of cycling far outweigh its risks; not cycling is far more
dangerous.
Road safety:
• Cyclists gain from “safety in numbers” – the more people who cycle the safer it
becomes as drivers get increasingly used to looking out for cyclists and
sharing space safely with them
• Cyclists rarely cause injury to other road users

Q2: Wouldn’t cycling be safer if you wear a helmet? Shouldn’t it be made
compulsory?
Facts:
o Cycle helmets standards require them to cater for an impact velocity of only 20
km/h (12.5 mph).
o Helmets are therefore not designed to withstand the sort of impact a cyclist might
suffer if they are hit by a speeding car
o The circumstances in which a cycle helmet is more likely to prevent or reduce
injury are low impact falls, e.g. if you fall off your bike all by yourself – something
that children may do. They may also help if you are hit by an overhead branch
when out mountain biking
Facts:
o Compulsion laws in other countries have reduced the number of people who
cycle
o Several recent reports (including four papers in peer-reviewed medical journals)
have found no link between changes in helmet wearing rates and cyclists' safety
- and there are even cases where safety seems to have worsened as helmetwearing
increased. The loss of “safety in numbers” benefits is one of several
possible explanations for this.

o CTC thinks that it should be up to you to decide whether you want to wear a
helmet or not, and that it should be an informed choice.
o CTC actively opposes all proposals to making helmet-wearing compulsory, for
children as well as for adults
o Instead, CTC promotes the road safety measures that are most likely to benefit
cyclists, e.g. 20mph in urban streets; strong enforcement against bad driving; and
good cycle training

Helmets & Safety
• Cycle helmets won’t always prevent injury in all circumstances and people
should be aware of their limitations
• It is the behaviour of drivers that causes most problems for cyclists on the
roads, so tackling speed and poor driving standards would help cyclists a lot
more than widespread helmet wearing

Helmet Compulsion
• Compelling people to wear cycle helmets may reduce the numbers of people
willing to cycle, undermining its health, environmental and other benefits
• The more people who cycle, the safer cycling becomes, so reducing cycle use
risks undermining these “safety in numbers” benefits

Q3: Why can’t cyclists learn to ride safely and obey the law?
Facts:
o Only a small proportion of illegal cycle use is straightforward “antisocial
behaviour”; most of it is people feeling forced to decide between what is safe and
what is legal, whilst some are unaware they are breaking the law at all.
o Illegal cycling causes very few serious injuries and fatalities are almost nonexistent
compared with the injuries caused by illegal car use, so the response
needs to be proportionate to the problem.
o We lobby for and promote the best ways to encourage cyclists, especially
teenagers, to ride safely and legally on the roads, i.e.:
- reduced speed limits on urban streets (20mph should be the norm except for
the widest and busiest main roads),
- enforcing road traffic law on all road users who create danger to others (this
will mostly affect bad drivers) and
- good cycle training, widely available for people of all ages.

Q4: Why don’t cyclists obey red lights?
Facts
o In London between 2001-05 (the most recent data we have), there were 3
cyclists, 7 pedestrians and 7 motor vehicle occupants killed when a motorist
jumped a red light. Two cyclists were killed by red light jumping (i.e. fewer than
the number of cyclists killed by red-light-jumping motor vehicles), while 7
motorcyclists got themselves killed the same way.
What’s CTC doing about it?
o Campaigning for best practice, cycle-friendly arrangements at junctions
o Promoting good cycle training
Red light jumping
• Jumping a red light on a bike is illegal and can be dangerous; jumping a red
light using a motor vehicle is just as illegal but causes a lot more death and
injury.
Illegal cycling
• It is not the job of CTC to justify illegal cycling. However before deciding how
to address the problem one needs to understand why it happens in the first
place and promote effective means for tackling it
• Things that make it impossible (or prohibitively costly) for children and
newcomers to take up cycling in the first place (e.g. registration, licences etc –
see Q6 below) risk seriously undermining its health, environmental and other
benefits.

Q5 What are you going to do about cyclists riding on the pavement?
Facts:
o There are about 40 pedestrians (almost one a week) killed annually in Britain by
motor vehicles on footways or verges (not to mention about 650 pedestrians
killed annually by motor vehicles on the road)
o By contrast an average of 0.3 pedestrians were killed in collisions with pavement
cyclists over the same period. There are similarly large discrepancies between
the numbers of pedestrians injured by cycles and motor vehicles on pavements,
whether in London or in Britain as a whole
Total pedestrian injuries (i.e. looking at all causes):
o In the years 2001-5 in London, there were 101 times as many pedestrians injured
– and 126 times as many seriously injured – in collisions with motor vehicles than
cyclists. Over these 5 years there were 534 pedestrians killed in collisions with
motor vehicles, and just 1 involving a cyclist
o No pedestrian has been killed in London in collision with a cyclist who was either
on the pavement or jumping a red light in any of the last ten years
What’s CTC doing about it?
o Promoting cycle training to give people the confidence and skills needed to cycle
on-road
o Urging engineers not to introduce shared-use pavements unless there is
absolutely nothing they can do to help cyclists on the road (e.g. by reducing
motor traffic volume and speed).
Pavement cycling
• CTC does not condone law-breaking or misbehaviour by cyclists and believes
that the road is usually the best place to cycle. However, we understand that
lack of confidence and skills mean that some people feel ‘safer’ on the
footway, particularly novices and children
• Figures show that cyclists very rarely cause injury to pedestrians on the
pavement
• The proliferation of legal shared use (a lot of it patchy and unnecessary), only
serves to confuse cyclists and pedestrians about the legalities of cycling on
the pavement.

Q6: Why don’t cyclists have compulsory training, number plates and
insurance to stop them riding dangerously and illegally, or so they can be
made to pay up when they do?
Facts:
o CTC was instrumental in drawing up new “Bikeability” national cycle training
standard, and encourages all people to take it. Whereas conventional cycle
training merely taught young children to not fall off their bikes while riding round
bollards in a playground, “Bikeability” is about giving people of all ages (including
teenagers and adults) the skills to handle real traffic confidently, safely and
legally, and thus to cycle more safely more often
o The administrative costs of making registration and insurance compulsory would
be as large as for car use, since there are about as many cyclists and bicycles in
Britain as there are drivers and motor vehicles – the main difference is that more
of the cyclists are children
o The administrative costs would therefore be similar, and would have to be borne
either by tax-payers or by individuals, and the Government has rightly ruled out
both options. Making cyclists pay both for training and registration would
seriously deter occasional cycle use (e.g. family outings) or newcomers to cycling
(including children), thus undermining efforts to encourage more people to cycle
o There is no evidence that registration would provide any safety benefits – after
all, having number plates doesn’t stop large numbers of motorists from driving
illegally and dangerously
o We continue to promote Bikeability training
o We also encourage all regular cyclists to have third-party insurance – indeed we
provide £10m of 3rd party insurance cover for all CTC members.
Legislative control of cyclists
• CTC believes that good quality, readily available cycle training is the best way
of ensuring that cyclists obey the law and ride safely. It should not be made
compulsory because that would probably deter people from taking up cycling
• CTC thinks that registration and licencing schemes would be prohibitively
costly, unenforceable, impossible to administer and also act as a deterrent
• We don’t see any reason for treating cyclists differently from pedestrians
• CTC promotes the take-up of third party insurance and provides it for its
members

Q7: Shouldn’t cyclists stop slowing down traffic and stick to where they
belong – i.e. cycle paths/tracks off the road? Shouldn’t campaigners be
asking for more on-road cycle lanes and off-road paths because they make
cycling safer?
Facts:
o The Highway Code states that cyclists do not have to use cycle facilities if
they do not wish to. CTC believes that the right of the cyclist to decide
whether or not to use a cycle path or lane should be maintained.
o Three-quarters of cyclists’ injuries occur at junctions. Both cycle paths/tracks
and lanes may put cyclists at even greater risk at these already risky points
because they can them more complex to negotiate (see below)
o Cycle paths/tracks
- Counter-intuitively, there is some evidence that cycle tracks are associated
with lower safety than others.
- Many cycle collisions occur where a cycle track crosses the mouth of a side
turning, or rejoins the main road. Whilst cyclists on the road retain priority,
those riding on the track are usually expected to stop and look for motor
traffic approaching from several angles and directions. Novices and children
may find this difficult and be placed at greater risk than they would be had
they cycled, with due priority, on the road. Equally, drivers may not be looking
for cyclists using an off-road path.
- Pedestrians and particularly people with sight impairments, tend to object to
sharing footways with cyclists
o Cycle lanes
- As long as they are of adequate width (1.5m min, 2.00m preferred) cycle
lanes may provide protection between junctions. They may make people feel
safer and encourage them to cycle more
- However, staying in a cycle lane means, once again, that you may be worse
off at junctions. This is because they take you out of the driver’s field of
attention, whilst also making it harder for the cyclist to see what is coming out
of a side road and to avoid being cut up by a driver overtaking then turning
left from behind
- An unacceptably narrow cycle lane (and there are many of them) might signal
to drivers that this is all the space a cyclist needs, thus encouraging them to
overtake too closely
What’s CTC doing about it?
Cycle paths/tracks v the road
• Cycle paths, especially those provided alongside a road, are not necessarily
safer than the road and there is no obligation to use them
• Cycles are vehicles and, as such, have every right to use the road
• Cyclists don’t slow down traffic – they are traffic!
Cycle lanes (lanes painted on the road)
• These are often not wide enough to help; and sometimes they are so narrow
that they cause more problems than they solve
CTC – the UK’s national cyclists’ organisation 7
o We advocate that engineers do everything possible to make the road itself
suitable for cycling first, before so much as considering cycle lanes or (last resort)
shared use paths
Q8: Cyclists don’t pay road tax, so you have no right to complain about the
roads or drivers, or to take up road-space, do you?!
Facts:
o Almost all adult cyclists pay for the roads too as the money comes out of council
tax and income tax
o Cyclists who don’t drive still pay for the most expensive roads, i.e. motorways,
despite being banned from using them
o Nobody pays roads tax any more as it was abolished in the 1930s for fear that
drivers would think they “owned the road”. The argument that paying vehicle
taxes gives drivers prior use of the roads is like arguing that smokers should
have priority in hospitals because they pay for these out of cigarette taxes
o Both cyclists and pedestrians, who do minimal damage to the road surface, could
get by perfectly happy without all the money that gets spent on motorways and
trunk roads
o Campaigning to make sure that councils spend money for road maintenance in
ways that help cyclists as well as motorists

Q9: You’ll never get large numbers of people to cycle, will you?
Facts:
o 43% of people aged 5 and over own a bicycle
o There are very high levels of recreational cycle use – it is the 3rd most commonly
undertaken form of physical activity in adults, after football and swimming, with
about 31% of Britain’s adult population cycling at least once a year (c18m
people), and about 15% (almost 9m people) cycling at least once a week
Road tax
• Actually, most adult cyclists do pay for the roads, even though they impose minimal
wear and tear on them!
• There are no calls for pedestrians to start paying “road tax”, so why require it of
cyclists?
Getting lots of people to cycle
• Yes we will! There is huge potential for increased cycle use in Britain. Cycling is fun, fast,
flexible, free (well, almost), it keeps you fit, it avoids burning finite fuel reserves and is
friendly to the local and global environment. It is good for the health of individuals and that
of our communities and the environment. It’s the answer to lots of the problems we have
today.
o Yet cycling is little used as a mode of transport in Britain, with less than 2% of
trips being made by cycle. This compares with 9% in Switzerland, 10% in
Germany and Belgium, 12% in Sweden, 18% in Denmark and 27% in Holland.
None of these countries have significantly different economies, car ownership
levels or weather, and Switzerland is a lot more hilly
o Over two thirds (68%) of all trips in Britain, and over half (58%) of car trips, are
under 5 miles, approximately a half hour cycle ride. Especially in larger towns
and cities, such journeys are often quicker by cycle than by any available
alternative
o 37% of adults in Britain agree that 'Many of the short journeys I now make by car
I could just as easily cycle, if I had a bike'
o Around 3 in 10 car users in Britain say they would reduce their car use 'if there
were more cycle tracks away from roads ' (31%), 'if there were more cycle lanes
on roads' (27%) or 'better parking facilities for cycles' (30%)
o Just over two-thirds (68%) of Britons agree that 'cyclists should be given more
priority', while only 11% felt that 'cycle lanes on roads simply reduce space'
What’s CTC doing about it?
o Everything we can…campaigning, Champions, training…you name it…

Q10: Our roads would be safer if there were no cyclists, wouldn’t they?
What’s CTC doing about it?
o Just being there…
No cyclists = safer roads?
• Around 3000 people die from road traffic collisions in the UK every year – only
about three of those involve only a cyclist and a pedestrian, the remainder all
involve motor vehicles.

The roads would be safer with no motor vehicles!

A ride to Scotland and back

2009-08-05T17:49:00.005+01:00

Well after all the preparation rides (or not) I'd done this year, Last Saturday I found myself on a train towards Watford and a short cycle ride over to Cheshunt for the start of the London -Edinburgh - London 1400km audax ride.

I got there at about 10.30 in the morning ready for the my 12.30 registration and managed to get near the front of the queue. This was a good idea as the queues got longer and longer as other riders were trying to register early and the queues were still there 6hrs later.
An afternoon of talking to friends, looking at bikes and having a couple of drinks all added to the great atmosphere. Then it was off for a quick ride down the A10 to the Travelodge for a sleep before my 08.15 start on the Sunday.

All going well as I got to the start at about 07.00 and watched the 08.00 riders leave. Then it was line up ready for my departure.
Pic by Dave Larrington

Away in a reasonable group up through Cheshunt and into the rolling countryside of Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the first control at Gamlingay.
I was going at my usual pace passing some people on the flat and getting passed by people on the uphill sections. The sun was out and it was a warm but nice day.
On around the left of Peterborough and up to a school in Thurlby I was starting to get a bit sore where my shorts were rubbing the top of my legs, not good as I was hardly 150kms into the ride.
After Thurlby the sky started to cloud over and it looked like it may start to rain.
Another stop at Washingborough just SE of Lincoln for more food and drink and by the time I left it was on with the jacket as it had started raining.

The next bit up to Thorne via Wragby was at a reasonable pace due to there being hardly any hills, there was a bit of a crosswind headwind in places but not too bad. I also managed to find a shop and get some cream for my leg/short interface and stood at the side of the road applying it. It must have looked odd and was probably lucky I wasn't arrested as I stood next to a Coop with my hand down my shorts and a look of relief on my face!!
I reached Thorne at Midnight (320km in 16hrs) looked my bike to the fence and went to get more food.

On walking into the rugby club it resembled what a refugee camp must look like. Bodies everywhere sleeping on the floor, at tables, across chairs. All the beds were taken mainly due to people trying to stay out of the bad weather.
I got my card stamped, grabbed some food, changed clothes into some dry ones from my drop bag, found a blanket and some space on the floor in the corridor by the toilets.

I did manage to get some sleep and woke up fairly refreshed but had no clue what the time was.
I went out to find I'd had 3hrs got some breakfast and then spent 20 - 30 mins looking for my water bladder to refill.
I couldn't find it anywhere so resigned myself using just 1 water bottle and went outside to fill it. My bladder was still on my bike! D'oh!!

I was away for about 5 and the quiet roads around Doncaster were starting to get busy with the Monday morning rush hour.
I was still feeling tired and my shorts were still rubbing, I thought I had left some Sudocreme in my bag at Thorne but it turned out I had left it in the one at Dalkeith instead (muppet).

Onwards around York and towards the village of Coxwold. The hills started here and as I was climbing the hill through Crayke I turned left and the road went up again, bike came to a standstill and I got off and walked.

By the time I got to Coxwold my legs were starting to Blister where the shorts were rubbing and I decided to finish the ride there and then. I just didn't fancy another 1000km of it.
If I had gone any further I knew it would cost me more to get home on the train than it would from York.
I rang my brother up and rode back down through York and onto his place at Wetherby.
Total distance was 500km by the time I got there.

Cider was consumed and I spent a couple of days there as the price of train tickets went down from £75 to £25 if booked a day in advance.

By the other stories and write-ups from the people who completed the ride, the weather was atrocious with gail force winds, horizontal rain and hail in places. Great British summer weather!

Will I try it again in 4 years, I don't know. More training will be needed and definitely more longer rides in the months before the ride.
This year I didn't get out enough and what with mechanical failures, bad weather and the short problem also caused by sitting in a puddle of sweat on the new seat I fitted 2 days before the ride (now sorted).
I've also said I'll help with the driving side of the event when it's held again.

So what next?
This year I still have more rides planned and a 600km ride at the end of September to do.
Next year I will still be riding and will do as many as I can get in around work and family commitments.
2011 brings up the option of doing Paris - Brest - Paris 1300km ride. Do I want to go for that one. We'll see :-)

This weekend....

2009-07-24T01:21:00.004+01:00

Those that have been following me on here know that this weekend I'm off to Cheshunt this weekend to take part in the London - Edinburgh - London 1400km (870mile) bike ride.
The ride is organised by Audax uk and is their flagship event only held every 4yrs.

I started doing audax rides 2.5yrs ago starting off with a 100km one and gradually building the distance up, the longest I've done so far is 600km so this ride will definitely be a challenge.
I leave here (MK) on Saturday morning for the ride down to Cheshunt, and will then spend Saturday afternoon relaxing and worrying about the next day.
There are 600 people entered for this event so it should be a good ride. I hope to do the ride in 5 sections, 4 of approx 300km and 1 200km. I may find I go well on the first couple of days and get further than expected. It will mainly be ride until I'm tired and see how it goes.

If you are interested in following me I'll be updating my Facebook page by using Twitter as and when I can get a mobile signal. It will mainly be at the controls along the way and some of these don't have reception.
A few of the other riders will be updating Twitter as well by using #lel these tweets can be found on the Twitter search page.

Hopefully I'll be back on here next weekend with a good report.

Ride to Ely

2009-07-14T16:11:00.006+01:00

Another weekend closer to LEL but this weekend I did manage to get out on a ride.

I was up at 07.00 on Sunday morning hoping to be away for 08.00, as usual I had too many ciders the night before. I eventually got out at 08.45 after breakfast and sitting in front of the computer for a bit too long.

As the Bacchetta was still off the road at the weekend I took the trike and headed for Biggleswade. I got to the garage for a receipt and then had to go back home again as I had forgot my waterbottles.
Away again and five minutes later I had to stop to reduce layers, half way up the steady climb along the A5 heading towards Woburn . Must have been the alcohol coming out!
Biggleswade came quite quickly and the next KM's to halfway point at Ely (100km) seemed to fly by getting there in just over 4hrs.
The route is relatively flat once you get past Cambridge and I found myself in top gear most of the time, and wanting another as I couldn't spin the pedals any quicker.

After the usual pie, cold sandwich and drinks from the garage I turned back the way I came and headed towards Huntingdon. It's no wonder the ride out was fast, I was now pedalling into a headwind, which was to stay with me for the whole way home.

Once past Huntingdon the route starts to get rolling again as I headed past Graftham water and onto Olney. (must organise a local ride to here sometime)
I got back home at 20.20. 11.5hrs out with about 2hrs off the bike.
No computer on the trike so I've no idea what the average speed was.

The forks for the Bacchetta arrived on Monday morning so I spent the day getting parts and refitting them.
Now just need to await the arrival of a fitting kit for the hardshell seat and I'll be ready for the long ride.
Well, as ready as I'll ever be!

FSoTM ride

2009-07-06T10:00:00.003+01:00

This year seems to be flying by, must be getting old!!
This weekend saw another of my local MK FSoTM rides, this one was a 20 mile ride around the back of Linford Lakes to Newport Pagnel and back again.
10 others turned up on Sunday morning and a good ride was had with a stop for a pint at MK village.
Only 1 puncture this time at about the halfway point.
No photo's this time as I forgot to take my camera.

The next ride is on the 2nd of August, it starts from Furzton lake at 10.00 and takes the Sustrans path to Winslow.
Hope to see more people along.

More ramblings

2009-07-06T09:08:00.003+01:00

Not updated for a while, and not done much in the way of long rides the last couple of weeks.
I did start on a planned 300km ride to Newbury and Marlborough the other weekend, I was up at 6 and ready to go out at 7.
On the way to the garage I noticed the new dérailleur I'd fitted the day before was making funny noises, turn around and back home to take a look at it to find I needed to take some links out and shorten the chain.
Put bike back in shed, put pedals on to the trike and off I went again.
As I got to Aylesbury the day was starting to get hotter and I decided I really couldn't be bothered with cycling 180miles over the ridgeway 4 times in 28c heat.
I put on the suncream and turned left instead of right and headed for the Ivinghoe beacon instead.
The trike being heavier than the Bacchetta was a bit harder to drag up the hills but not too bad but it's worth it for the eye watering drops down the other side. Stopped for a couple of pints and some chips in a pub in Stanbridge and made my way back home for early afternoon.
Total was only 50 miles, but I had a good ride and really enjoyed it.

This week saw me exchanging emails with the team at Bacchetta with concerns about the forks on my Giro 26. There seemed to be a line on the paint where the fork blades are bonded to the crown and the paint had started to bubble underneath. They have decided to change the fork without any problems, just to be on the safe side.
A trip over to D-Tek near Ely on Sat' morning with the bike to have the fork taken off and now have to wait for the new one to be sent over.
Back on the trike again for work this week, I suppose the extra weight helps the non existent training I've done for the long ride (L-E-L) at the end of the month. As I write this there are only 18 days to go!! Still a bit worried about it as it's the longest ride I've ever done and this year I've not done a ride over 400km yet.

On a sadder note I was surprised to read this from the Dept' of Transport the other day.
In 2008
28,567 people were seriously injured on the roads last year out of these 2538 people were killed.
1257 deaths were in a car.
2807 children were injured, 1784 of these were pedestrians and 124 died.
572 pedestrian deaths.
493 motorcycle deaths.
115 cycling deaths.

This is really astonishing reading, what other place would allow that many injuries or deaths go by with just an "Oh well, it was just an accident" attitude.

There's also been a lot of accidents in London recently with people undertaking left turning lorries and buses. 7 deaths in 5 months, 6 of which were woman.
For some reason these deaths don't make it onto the news, all road users including cyclists need to know the dangers of going up the inside of large vehicles.
Always go up the right-hand side when wanting to pass, NEVER on the left.

London - Edinburgh - London

2009-06-11T16:36:00.005+01:00

As some of you know I've entered the 1400km Audax bike ride from London to Edinburgh and back.
It's a ride held every 4 years and this is the 6th running of the event.
There is a time limit of 116hrs and 40mins to complete the ride, this means that with an 8am start on the Sunday I have to be back by 5am on the Friday morning. It works out at about 300km (180miles) a day.
There are 600 riders from 30 countries (some from as far as Australia) that have entered so should be a really good ride.
As I write this it's only 43 days away!! To say I'm slightly worried about it is an understatement.
Well I suppose worried is the wrong word, but as I've still not managed to finish a 600km ride so far this year it's getting very close and the time is disappearing fast.

Audax rides over here are run by Audax UK and range from 50km calendar rides.
These are organised rides with route sheets that take you on a scenic loop (hills usually included) via cafes, village halls and garages. You also get a card which you get stamped/collect receipts or answer questions on it to prove you've been to all the places on the route.
Then there are permanent rides from 50km again up to rides like the 3315km Great triangle taking in all 4 corners of the UK.
All rides over 200km get points (2 for a 200km, 3 for a 300km etc') and at the end of the season you can see how far behind the points champion you are.
Last year I got 35 points. The top point scorer so far is Steve Abraham, he racked up 405 in the 2007 season. But he just likes a challenge!!

Be careful though they are very addictive, I started on a 100km event 4 years ago.
I now often find myself sat on a garage forecourt at 2am eating a cold pasty with a bottle of flavoured milk to wash it down. When not riding I often sit at home on the computer trying to work out 200km/300km/600km routes that go via these 24hr cafes and garages to then go out and ride. The joys of long distance cycling!!

If you want to read more about them or join in they are great fun (if a little challenging at times!!) take a look at the Audax and cyclosportive pages over on yACF.
It is a great cycling forum full of friendly people that will help you out and answer any questions you have bike related or not.

Oh well, back to the on-line route mapping. Now working on a ride that goes up to Scunthorpe and down through the fens of east anglia.

TTFN

Another DNF!!

2009-06-10T09:20:00.003+01:00

I was looking forward to last weekends ride after entering it well in advance, getting cheap train tickets and a cheap room at a travel lodge.
After finishing work on Friday morning I managed to get a few hours sleep before my train up to Stockport at 11.50. Arriving at the station with ages to spare and an uneventful journey got me there in under 2hrs.
As I had time to spare I rode along the A6 to roughly where the ride started the next morning and made my way to the Travel lodge so that I knew the route in the morning.
After a McD meal I managed to get another couple of hours sleep before Ben arrived to take the spare bed for the night. Forums are great for getting others to share the costs of rooms for events like this. Pizza was consumed and it was off for an early night in preparation of the early start.

Alarm went at 04.30, coffee was made and it was out the door at 5. We got to the start with just enough time to say hello to the other riders, collect brevet cards and join the back of the bunch as the group left.
It was raining, not too bad but enough to dampen. The start of the ride took us along lovely lanes around Jodrell bank (past the radio telescope) and across the Cheshire plain to Wem where it was a stop for a full breakfast and coffee to try and warm up as we were all soaked through.
Onwards through Church Stretton (still raining) to top up on supplies ready for the hills that started not long after.
First hard slog came as we left Knighton and it was up and down all the way to Builth Wells. 210km covered and 10 hrs of rain so far.
The next bit I was looking forward to in a funny way as I'd heard so much about the Elan Valley but had not as yet ridden it.

So it was away again (still raining) and just up the road I went to change gear and the cable snapped!! Bugger!!
Managed (eventually) to botch it by pulling spare cable through the changer and tying a knot in it. It worked just but I wasn't going to trust it to get me over the hills to Aberystyth in the dodgy weather as if it had broken again it would have left me stranded in the middle of nowhere cold and wet.

So as I got to Rhyader a few miles up the road I stopped at a pub and got a room with breakfast for £25. After a shower and dry clothes I spent the rest of the evening drinking cider.
This seemed a better way to spend my birthday than atop a welsh hill in the rain.
It was still raining outside.

Next morning it was up at 8 for a huge breakfast and out into the rain again for the 50km ride to Newtown to get the train home.

Total riding for the weekend was 280km and out of the 17hrs on the road it must have rained for 16 of them. Others that completed the ride said they had it for 27 out of 34 and a headwind for the last few. An epic weekend for the ones that did complete it.

Now it's a weekend off from long rides as the next one is the 30 mile FSoTM ride hope to see some of you along.

Oh did I mention the rain!!

I want one of those, and one of those, and .....,

2009-06-01T14:44:00.010+01:00

Bacchetta carbon aero.
WAW velomobile
Tri sled Avatar velomobile
Velokraft Nocom
Zockra Kouign Amann
Last one is also a Nocom but with a rear fairing fitted.

Choices, choices.
Just need to find the money now!!
Will have to sell the kids or my body! probably get more for the kids. Lol

Non-cycling weekend

2009-05-30T14:07:00.006+01:00

No cycling again this weekend, as I've got the kids round both days, no problem though as I'm having another attempt at a 600km next weekend starting in Stockport.

Have been using the trike this week for work as I've now put the fairing back on it.
I need to change the gears on it now though as it seems to add so much to the top speed.
I can do most of the ride to work along the grid roads in the top 3 gears now and I'm finding that when I need to change gear again there's not another one to go up into.

Does anyone want to buy an old Renault Laguna (spares or repair) Lol.
The tax runs out on my car this weekend and as it needs a new exhaust and tyres I've decided to get rid of it instead of fixing it. I'll probably put in onto ebay if nobody local wants it.
£50 and it's yours to take and do as you please with.
I've gone without a car before so it's no hardship, if one is needed for a weekend they are so cheap to hire one it's daft to leave it outside and used once a week.

Also a reminder that the FSoTM ride for June is not next weekend it's on the 2nd Sunday (14th) as I'm away on the 1st weekend.

DIY 300 25/5/09

2009-05-27T15:52:00.004+01:00

After the disastrous start on the BCM 600 last weekend I decided to go out on a 300km ride around the fenlands of Cambridgeshire and Norfolk.
I submitted a route for validation on Friday evening, a bit late but was pretty sure it would be ok as all the others I've put in have been.
I'd not heard from Andy (the DIY organiser) by Monday morning, it was the BH weekend though so I didn't really expect to.

I made sure I had enough sleep this time and was up at 5am and after eggs and beans is was at the garage at 6.15 to get a drink and receipt for the start.
The start of the ride took me on the familiar route up the A5, across to Woburn and along the A505 towards the first control at Biggleswade. The traffic was unnoticeable as it was still early arriving there at 7.50.
Receipt and drink purchased I was away again northwards on the B1040 through St Ives and on towards Wisbech. The wind seemed to pick up on this stage, it wasn't fast but being the fens there's nothing to stop it. I got there at 11.45 and sat outside a garage eating junk watching all the people doing the usual BH joy of visiting garden centers.

Retraced the route back a bit and after getting lost going through Outwell I found the right road and headed for Littleport, just above Ely.
I could see a huge plume of smoke coming from the direction I was heading in, and as I got closer to Littleport I found the road closed due to a transport company being alight.
Backtracked towards Welney and after a 20km detour I got to Ely, a bit south of the intended route but not too bad.
The sun had got up by now and it was getting to be a hot day, after digging about in my bag I found the suncream and put some on my head and with the buff on as well I was on my way again
After more dodgy map reading skills I eventually got to the transport cafe at Red Lodge just off of the A11 at 15.15 and 200km on the road. Egg chips and beans was consumed and after a short 45min's I was away again heading back westwards towards Huntingdon.

A reasonably eventful section with a few more cars about, people seemed to be getting more impatient towards the evening. Must be the weather and the end of the weekend blues.
More drink purchased and bonk rations for the last bit were got from the garage there and it was off again into the rolling hills around Gratham water.
The route from there towards Olney I've done a few times so it was easy navigation, the hills slowed me down a bit as with nearly 300km done my legs were beginning to feel tired.
As I passed through Harrold it was time to put the lights on and I got to Olney at 22.00 looking like a Christmas tree.

Quick receipt and away for the last section home. The pothole I hit every time through Sherington was still there, I forgot it was there again and was jolted out of my seat swearing.
Eventually I made my way through MK to the garage for the final receipt arriving at 23.00.

The total for the ride was 335km, slightly more than first put in for but still within the time limits for the ride (20hrs).
I got round in 16.45 with 2hrs off the bike, 26.2kph avg.
I'm reasonably happy with that as it's the fastest ride this season and after last weekends DNF I'm happy to be out again with no problems. Apart from slightly sunburned arms!

Now do I go out next weekend for a 200km or wait until the weekend after and another 600km one? Choices!!

BCM 600

2009-05-17T18:52:00.002+01:00

After a manic 2 weeks at work doing 12hr night shifts (6-6) and going to bed at 9am on Friday morning I was up again at 2pm to go back in to work for an afternoon shift.
I would have liked to have the day off but as another colleague was already off on that day, It wasn't allowed.
I eventually finished and got out of work at 23.00, and as I'd already put the bike and all I needed in the car I was ready to head for Wales.
Trouble was I'd forgot my pedals!! I'd been using them on my trike for the last week so I had to go home and get them.

I eventually got to Chepstow at 01.45 and managed to get about 3hrs sleep in the car before my alarm awoke me at 05.00 to wind and rain battering the windscreen! at least it was coming from the south and would help push me towards Anglesey.
That was the idea anyway.

There must have been about 80 riders at the start of the ride and we were all away heading northwards at 06.00.
A few fast downhills and some slow slogging up hills saw me near to the back of the field by about the 50km mark.
It was at this point I decided that the lack of sleep and the poorly adjusted seat was not going to get me along the rest of the 570kms left on the ride.
I turned round and headed back to the car.

All was not lost though, as I had to go and get my bag from Dolgellau I decided to help out at the control at the youth hostel.
It was good to see how the other side of events work as I'm usually riding them.
I was the kitchen help, waiter, onion chopper, microwave operator, and whatever else needed doing. Actually there was 10 of us there and the whole team did everything and anything that needed doing to help the riders get food and whatever sleep was needed.

A lull in between the last riders leaving and the first coming back on the top 100km loop of the ride, meant there was just enough time for a couple of pints at the local before going back ready for the fast ones that were expected to get back at 22.00.
I managed to get in bed at about 02.00 and was up again at 06.00 to help out with the last breakfasts for the few riders that were still coming in and wanting food and sleep.
After the clear-up and packing of cars I got away at about 9.30 for the 180mile drive home.
There were still riders battling the headwind up and over the first hill as I drove past. I hope they all got round in the time allowed.

As I write this at 19.30 there will still be some out on the road, trying their hardest to get back before the 23.16 cut-off to complete the ride and some of the later riders may be pushing it to get back on time.
Out of the 80 or so that started about 30 packed and went home at some point in the ride due to the bad weather.

What was learnt from the weekend?

1. You need to bank sleep time before attempting long rides. It's not possible to do it when you are tired.

2. Try and get your bike set properly before you start on long rides. It WILL make you ache and hurt if not set up correctly.

3. The unpaid organisers and helpers do a lot of work to make the events and controls run as smooth as possible for the riders going through them.

A BIG THANKS to them all for the rides I've done in the past and for the ones I'm still planning to do.

Rich.

ALDI cycle stuff instore 7/5/09

2009-05-04T10:32:00.003+01:00

If your after cheap cycle stuff get over to Aldi this Thursday (7th May)
ALDI website
They have some good buys but get there early as it tends to sell out quite quickly, mostly brought by the ebay brigade who buy the stuff to flog at a profit online.

May FSoTM ride

2009-05-03T17:32:00.003+01:00

After a warm week of riding in a t/shirt the weather changed a bit today with a brisk north-westerly blowing meaning a jacket was needed.
Though this never stopped the 42 riders coming out to join me for the start at Furzton lake.
This is the second largest turnout I've had on one of my rides in the 6 years I've been leading them. All down to The Parks Trust putting the ride in the local paper.

So after a slightly delayed start we were off along the Millennium Cycle Route around the MK bowl, along Peartree lane and through the estates towards Woughton on the Green.
It was a good turnout but meant that the group stretched out along the narrow paths and we had to stop at major junctions for the rear markers to catch up.

The path along the canal towards Willen lake is getting worse with tree routes starting to raise parts of the surface tarmac. It was like riding on a washboard at times, probably not a problem for the riders on MTB's with big tyres but on my recumbent with 100psi in them my eyes were starting to shake.

Decided to stop at the cafe at Willen today as there was some children along and it would break up the ride for them. On a Sunday morning this is the only place open to stop.

Back up to the canal and a quick stop to replace a pedal that had fallen off of one of the childrens bikes, a puncture for one of the riders from Newport was the only other mechanical I knew of on the ride.

Back going again and away from the canal up to Gt Linford to join the railway walk and another stop to regroup at Bradwell, then down and along the Loughton Valley to follow the stream back to Furzton lake and the finish.

I managed to get a few pictures along the way, They can be found here on my photobucket page.

The next one (a 30 mile ride to Salcey Forest cafe) is on the 2nd Sunday in June and not the first as I'm away on a long ride that weekend.
Hope to see some of you along and enjoying the ride with us again, that is the reason why I do it. To get more people out and about on bikes and showing them how easy it is to get about on them.

Upcoming 600km ride

2009-04-26T20:06:00.002+01:00

Over the weekend of the 16/17th of May I'm off to South Wales for the first 600km ride of this year, The Bryan Chapman Memorial
I've done this ride before so know what it entails and it will mean I know when the hills will appear!! Don't know if this is a good thing or not.
Wish me luck!!
Last year I put a ride report onto the Bacchetta forum which I've pasted below if anyone fancies a read.

A ride of 620km from the coast at Chepstow in South Wales to the Coast in North Wales and back, with about 28000’ of climbing thrown in for good measure.

After arriving at Chepstow the night before and getting about 5 hrs sleep in the car with the bike, I woke up at 04.30 and as my alarm was due to go off at 05.00 I decided to get up.
Breakfast consisted of a cold can of rice pudding some cereal and a bit of toast, I wasn’t too worried as I’d eaten a pasty, 2 scotch eggs, chicken and mushroom slice and a packet of jaffa cakes while sat in the car the previous night.

90 riders started off up the road at 06.00 all on upright bikes, 1 tandem and only me on a ‘bent.
The first stage was rolling countryside with a few minor hills and the first control/cafe came at 80km. 1/2hr later I was off again on the longer stage of about 120km soon slowing down as the ride started going into the bigger hills around Rhayader (where I got cheered and got a round of applause from a group of about 30 OAPs), and down to the coast near Aberystwyth and along to another café for lunch.

The next stage was again up, through Machynlleth and more mountains to the Youth Hostel at Dolgellau (220km) which the organiser had hired for the whole weekend, more food was consumed and it was away again for the next stage to Menia Bridge and the half way point.
The hill at penrhyndeudraeth was a shock as it seemed to go skyward at one serious angle (I may have seen a sign saying 40%). Then it was onto the long steady climb up Pen-Y-Pass and around Mt Snowden for the drop down the other side at eye watering speeds to arrive at Menia at 21.00 for my quickest 300 to date 15hrs.
It was then a ride back around the flatter side of Snowden and up past the Llyn Trawsfynydd power station (lit up like a Christmas tree and could be seen for miles) and back to the hostel at 02.30 (380km) for more food and 3 hours sleep.

With a pre-arranged wake-up call at 06.00 I was up and feeling quite good, more food was eaten (cereal and cooked breakfast) and I was off again for the 240km ride back to Chepstow.
The first 20km out and up the first climb was hard with a head wind and the top didn’t come soon enough, which meant I had a nice stroll to the top, about the 3rd time I’d walked some parts.
The stop at Aberhafesp was again welcome with more food and coffee.

Then came the longest climb of the ride not too steep but went on for miles, the descent was a bit technical with a few hairpin bends so I was caught and overtaken by a friend who knew the route, not for long though as the road opened up to sweeping bends and I was away at silly speeds again passing a mountain biker at about mach3 (He’d overtaken us on the climb).
Another stop at Tref-Y-Clawdd for a drink and a pie and into rolling countryside to the next control at Weobley, where more food and drink was consumed!!

Another rolling stage with just enough speed down one side to get up the other before the next drop. I’d been warned about the last biggish climb up through the village of Llancloudy and didn’t get far up it before walking again.
The last stage from Monmouth to Chepstow was along the Wye valley through overhanging trees past Tintern Abbey with a slow low gear slog in towards the race course, I could see a group ahead on the climb but could not quite reach them until the downhill.
There was a shout of put the kettle on as I went past with the smell of the finish in my nostrils, to arrive at 20.45.

640kms total, 38.45hrs out, 31.30hrs cycling, and 2.5 hrs to spare.

Longest ride this year, as I’ve only had the bike 3 weeks and have only done one other 200km on it.

Things that need sorting out are get the euromesh seat sorted out (waiting for one to come over here to the shop), I can then get bottles fitted properly and do not have to keep stopping for a drink.
Get proper lights fitted for the night section as a Cateye cube is not good for speed at night. I’ve got an IQ fly but need to get the dynamo fitted.

I like this bike very much and it is a lot quicker than the trike I did an SR on last year.
Now off to plan the next ride.

P.S. don't ask me to try to pronounce the place names as I haven't a clue

Rich.

Low mileage week again.

2009-04-23T21:16:00.003+01:00

Another week of only cycling to work and a weekend coming up with no cycling whatsoever.
Will be out drinking too much this weekend as I have 2 parties to go to! Next audax will be a 200km one sometime over the bank holiday weekend, probably on Monday as on the Sunday I'll be leading the FSoTM ride around the Millennium Cycle Route.

If you are bored here's some more video clips to watch and make you get out of your seat and start cycling.

A recumbent dropping down the road on the Alpe D'Huez

Surreal clip from Monkey Dust

And I want one of these! shame I wouldn't fit in it

210km DIY Audax

2009-04-19T22:01:00.004+01:00

I didn't fancy driving to an event this weekend so I submitted a route for a DIY ride.

Alarm set for 6 and after too much drink last night (must stop that before a ride!) and not enough sleep I was out of the door for 7.30.
Was a bit chilly to start with as I cycled to the garage for a receipt and along the A5 towards Stony Stratford to get one from there also.

Left turn then for Buckingham along the A422 which being just after 8 on a Sunday morning, was very quiet. Drop down and climb back out of Buckingham towards Gawcott and the back lanes through Bicester towards Witney for a sandwich and a drink. With the tailwind all the way from Stony I managed to get there (80km) in just over 3hrs.
On through Bampton and another stop at Didcot (120km) to get more drink. It was then turn left into a headwind.

Stopped at a cafe on the Thames at Benson for beans on toast, then to skirt the Ridgeway all the way to the next control at Dunstable.
Being near to the hills the road although following the base was still up and down, getting more so as I left Wendover on the way to Tring and past the Beacon at Ivinghoe.
Last nights drink, headwind and hills were starting to slow me down a lot now and I was glad to reach Dunstable.
Knowing that the headwind would be changing to a sidewind and that there were only a few hills on the A5 lifted the moral no end.

Traffic was a bit busier now but all of them gave me a wide berth, must be the funny bike!
Got back to the garage at 19.50 and home minutes later.

Stats:-
212km
12.20hrs out
8.53hrs cycling, too long faffing about off of the bike.
Average speed of 23.9kph
Max speed of 59.4kph down from Little Brickhill, Couldn't spin my legs any faster.
Lost 1/2 a stone in weight! due to dehydration, did drink 6+ ltrs though.

Write 100 times "Must not drink the night before a bike ride!"

This brings the total for this bike to 9450km in nearly a year, I was hoping to get over 10000 but a few rides not started and not finished put payed to that.

Bike shops around MK

2009-04-16T07:35:00.003+01:00

If anyone is looking for bikes or parts in Milton Keynes, here is a list of the local bike shops.

Phil Corley cycles, based on Stacey Bushes they have a wide range of bikes from utility bikes, to top end MTB and road racers.

Chaineys cycles have one shop in Loughton and one in Leighton Buzzard. Another shop selling a wide range of bikes.

P+D cycles in Fenny Stratford, wide range of childrens and electric bikes.

Roy Pinks in Newport Pagnell, bikes and kites.

Evans, Halfords,Tesco, Adsa etc' are all good for cheap parts. But if I was going to buy a new bike I'd stick to the local bike shops myself.

Do I, Don't I?

2009-04-13T21:29:00.002+01:00

That was the question as I was leaving Wetherby at 10 this morning.
While cycling along the York road after getting a receipt from the garage to prove the start time, I wasn't sure if I fancied another ride through the night after a weekend of cider at my brothers.
I made up my mind as I cycled into York and instead of turning right for the racecourse I turned left for the station.

Got a ticket and was on the first train south 5 minutes later.
I decided to go as far as Peterborough and cycle the rest of the way from there.
On leaving the station I managed to find my way out of the town, down the A15 and along the old A1 which runs alongside the motorway. To then Turn right onto the B road that takes you all the way into Bedford.
Gorgeous day and in just a t/shirt for the first half of the ride but as I was just about to climb the hill/bridge over the A14 my rear gear cable snapped at the changer!!

Bugger, what to do now, get phone out and see how far from Bedford I was and thought about ringing my mate from there to pick me up.
Try to fix it first, pull spare cable through changer and tie a knot in it?
It worked!! lost a couple of gears but no problem.

Onwards and southwards, passing through Harold and a stop at Olney for a cold pie, some sort of pastry with currants and custard and a Lucozade sport. Proper cyclist food :-D
Left there feeling a bit better and followed a racer up Emberton hill, he kept getting out of the saddle and looking back. Bugger that I'm not racing after a weekend of nearly 500km and too much cider.
Went past him on the downhill through the next village though, never to be seen again. :-D

Through Newport Pagnell and dodging the pedestrians around Willen lake (must be the weather!) past one couple and powered away, SNAP!! 12' of newly oiled chain trailing behind me.
Arse!! get the chain tool and split link out of the bag, fix chain which is miraculously not oily, it's all on my hands now.

Rest of the ride through MK went without a problem and was home for 19.00 with a total of 120kms and 5hrs cycling.

400km ride to Wetherby

2009-04-11T22:44:00.004+01:00

Good Friday saw me getting up at 05.00 and on my way at 06.30.
Stopping at the garage for a receipt to prove what time I started the ride.
Glorious morning over the Greensand ridge through Woburn with deer scattering again (this time not due to squeaky brakes) for a quiet ride over towards Royston.
Arriving at the Tesco garage at 09.30. Sandwich, water and a receipt got and way again towards Cambridge with a slight tailwind up the A10.
Most cars passing with plenty of room, one decided to blast his horn and give the finger as he went past, I just waved and carried on. 200yds further on the barriers for the railway crossing were just dropping.
As I went past slowly he seemed to slide down his seat and I waved and smiled again.

Stopped off at D-Tek near Ely for a water refill and to chat to a couple of new recumbent owners who were just buying new bikes, all about the benefits.

Onwards and northwards through Ely and onto Wisbech were as I was leaving it started to rain.
The rain carried on all the way to Lincoln were I stopped for a McD's!! Only ever eat these when I'm cycling.

Lights on now as it was just starting to get dark, through the long straight roads of the fens and the hills starting to get a bit larger as I got nearer to Lincoln.
Another round of sandwiches, coffee, cakes and supplies for the night ride towards the Humber Bridge.

This section was hard as I was starting to get tired, the trouble with that was being damp when I stopped to try to sleep I got cold, and as I started again and warmed up I started to fall asleep again. This was how the night section was all night, weaving about in the road as I got more tired.
After the Beverley stop and a can of redbull and a coffee not having any effect I saw another bench where I laid down for about an hour.

At this point I was cold, damp and nearly out of time for the ride. I had seen there was a station nearby and I decided to ride to there to look at train times.
There was one along in 10 minutes, result.
I would never have cycled the section from Howden to York and onto Wetherby in the hour I had left for the time limit for a 400km (28hrs) so I got on it.
The last 20km from York to Wetherby was hard work and I arrived there just after 11.
I still managed to ride 403km without the last section.

The autoroute file I sent off for validation showed exactly 400km so with diversions I was a bit over distance.
In total I was on the road for 29hrs. Maybe if it had not rained and I was not carrying a bag of clothes I may have got there in time, who knows.

Knees ache a bit now, the other question is do I ride back home or not?

Ready for the weekend

2009-04-09T06:40:00.006+01:00

I'm sat here, finished work for the weekend and sorting the route out for the weekends rides.
Some time today I'll have to get outside and get the bike ready for the early start in the morning.

Tomorrow (Good Friday) I'll be getting up at a 5am to ride from Fenny Stratford to my brothers in Wetherby.
In a straight line it would be about 250km (150 miles) but I've decided to take a longer route and extend it to 400km (250 miles).
The route goes from home out towards Royston, through Cambridge, Wisbech, Boston, Lincoln, over the Humber bridge to Beverley and then Howden, York and finally Wetherby.
I hope to do it in about 24hrs but I've got to finish it in under 28hrs to get the ride validated to go towards my points total with the club audax uk.
Monday will be a ride back home again but a shorter route will be ridden. Only 300km (180 miles) home via York, Gainsborough, Lincoln, Bourne and Huntingdon.

You can follow my progress via twitter or Facebook if I'm not too tired to operate my phone.

The new hub dynamo front wheel* will come into it's own on these rides as at least 10hrs on the way up will be in darkness and probably just under that will be one the way back.
I can fully recommend one to anyone who cycles a lot in the dark, they will save a lot on recharging and batteries.

Wish me luck with the weather and I'll put up a ride report when I'm done.

* Built by the excellent staff at Phil Corleys

FSoTM ride April

2009-04-05T14:08:00.005+01:00

10 other cyclists decided to join me on my First Sunday of The Month rides today, the weather was excellent cycling weather and it was a good ride out and around the villages south of Milton Keynes.
There were a couple of short drags uphill onto the ridge that crosses the route which also meant a couple of downhills as well.
My gps batteries ran out today so there is no track to copy onto here but I've put it onto Bikely instead.
There were a couple of riders who had not been on the rides before, I don't think we scared them and hope to see them again on another ride in the future.

If anyone wants to join us on the next ride just turn up. We are a friendly bunch, you won't get left behind and we usually stop for a drink about the halfway point.

A couple of videos in case you are bored.

2009-04-04T21:21:00.002+01:00

The 1st and 2nd are of Sam Whittingham getting 82.3mph pedalling his streamliner at Battle Mountain last year and getting the record for the fastest human powered vehicle.
The 3rd one is of Rob English crashing at about 70mph!!

Bike more - Drive less

2009-04-04T12:22:00.000+01:00

Another cartoon

2009-03-31T19:09:00.003+01:00

Will have to stop posting other peoples cartoons on here but I thought this one was too good to miss.
From Yehudamoon

Another missed chance

2009-03-29T13:52:00.004+01:00

Another weekend gone by and another week of not cycling!
After last weekends ride round East Anglia I seem to have got THE LERGY, almost a case of manflu but not quite.
Not been on the bike at all this week and felt too rough to attempt the 300km ride and jeopardise the next rides by making myself more ill than I am now.

On another note the leaflets for the Cancer Research ride around mk (see link on right) are available. If anyone wants any to handout at their workplace or club please get in touch and I'll sort some out for you.

Ramblings of a silverback cyclist

Shorter rides in Milton Keynes 2012

Allthe rides are taken at a pace to suit the slowest rider withplenty of stops if needed.Children are welcome, Butunder 16’s must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

The rides will use a mixture of surfaces so robust tyres are advisable.

The rides use the redways, shared use pathsand quiet roads where possible.

A Change of plans

Stockport 300

I'm still here!!

FSoTM rides from MK 2011

End of another audax year and the start of another.

It's that time of year again

More ramblings

Another long time...

Long time - no blog!

My Dutch trip - The ride itself Pt 2 - 3

My Dutch trip - The ride itself (pt 1)

My Dutch trip Days 1-3

The long one.

FSoTM ride #95 4/7/10

Get on your bike MK 12/9/10

A non cycling weekend

East Anglian diy 600.

Snowdon and Coasts 400km 12/6/10

312km ride to Yorkshire 29/5/10

Bryan Chapman Memorial 600km audax

200km audax ride to Ely.

FSoTM ride to Salcey Forest

Severn across audax

More ramblings

FSoTM ride to Stockgrove

A long ride to York

More ramblings...

New bike, another audax.

Audax ride to Chipping Norton

FSoTM ride to Stewkley

The wait starts

Kennet Valley Run 200km + 100 km

More ramblings

FSoTM ride Woburn via the woods

Training!!

The Willy Warmer

Weather

FSoTM ride to Stony + Whaddon

Happy new year

A Cold Sunday

200km to Ely

Every morning

Ride to Woburn loop via Wavendon

300km to the AGM

More ramblings

Upper Thames 200km audax

FSoTM ride 1.11.09

Last audax of the season

More ramblings.

FSoTM ride to Cranfield

Up to Sunny Scunny

Delivering a lorry to Doncaster

Records keep going

New HPV world record 82.4

FSoTM rides 2010

Another weekend and another FSoTM ride

That long....

From the Cycle Touring Club (CTC)

A ride to Scotland and back

This weekend....

Ride to Ely

FSoTM ride

More ramblings

London - Edinburgh - London

Another DNF!!

I want one of those, and one of those, and .....,

Non-cycling weekend

DIY 300 25/5/09

BCM 600

ALDI cycle stuff instore 7/5/09

May FSoTM ride

Upcoming 600km ride

Low mileage week again.

210km DIY Audax

Bike shops around MK

Allthe rides are taken at a pace to suit the slowest rider withplenty of stops if needed.
Children are welcome, Butunder 16’s must be accompanied by a responsible adult.