I'm retired, spend too much time watching cycling. Still, it lets me travel the world without leaving the comfort of my settee, somehow Italy seems more tempting than Belgium.

They were discussing Vingegaard on the commentary today and they think it will be a hard battle for him, but he may well be able to hit the ground pedalling and cycle back into form in the Tour.

What's up? Pogi didn't contest that stage!

Good win for Jonathan Milan, was hoping Top Ganna would make it, but he'd not quite got enough.

Shame that Bini Girmay's out after two crashes.

I may be retired, but today was still a Bank Holiday so it was time to ride to make the most of it. The fact that I've got seven nights away from home in the rest of May also means I have to get out whilst I can. The legs weren't really that interested but the ears weren't listening.

Nice to be out on a genuinely warm day too, the rainfall radar was showing a few showers out over the Peak District but I wasn't going out that far. I don't know why the legs were moaning either as I did the same ride as a couple of weeks back and averaged 1.3 mph quicker whilst outputting less power. Just shows the difference switching the Gravel bike from knobbly wide tyres to narrow(er) slicks makes. The windspeed and direction made some difference though.

It was bloody busy out there, I've never known so much traffic parked up on Clodhall lane and I do ride that way most Bank Holidays. Plenty of boy racers out and about too. Twats. Still not hitting those 40+ mile midweek rides though yet, just another 33 miles today, must get the decent road bikes sorted out.

https://www.strava.com/activities/11344788451

Not so much stiff competition in the Giro though.

Hmmm, that was supposed to be a boring sprint stage. The first half was, then after the first intermediate sprint the sprinters took off together in a break which caused big splits in the chasing peloton.

It all came back together again. Pogi and G picked up bonus seconds in the second intermediate sprint, then when Mikkel Honoré took off with 3k to go, Pogi went off in pursuit and G had to follow. They dropped Honoré and were then caught with about 250m to go and a regular sprint finish happened, bonkers.

Hope tomorrow's boring sprint stage is a dull!

Thought I'd royally buggered up my bike today. Thought the bearing in the headset had gone. The roads round here are not in very good shape and I hit a bit today that was like a ploughed field which had set like concrete. Thought my teeth would fall out, but then a rattling started up that sounded like all the ball bearings in the headset had come loose and were jumping around in the steerer tube and front forks.

Logic eventually kicked in as the bike could still be steered, what it was was a CO2 canister and multi-tool in my frame bag were hitting against each other. A bit of a relief, but I wouldn't be surprised if something like that could happen.

I got 32 miles in anyway in the late afternoon sunshine.

https://www.strava.com/activities/11340524219/

Quote from: pdw1 on May 04, 2024, 09:49:40 PM

Quote from: Nickslikk2112 on May 04, 2024, 09:43:10 PMBooked for Tommy Banks' gaff Roots in York a few months ago. Got an email from them last night saying "Book a meal on Wednesday or Thursday in May or June and get a free wine flight of our in house canned wines!". Bugger I thought, but then noticed it said "If you have already booked, send an email if you're interested"

Interested? It's a freebie! It may be 1846 since my last Yorkshire born ancestor left for Derbyshire, but it has left me with shorter than average arms and longer than average pockets! And I'm sure a Michelin starred restaurant wouldn't serve up tinny tasting wine in tins, so off an email went.

Got an email back today saying of course we can make use of the offer and my booking is amended Only trouble is, now I'm saving money I'll splash out on the optional cheese course...

There is no such thing as an optional cheese course

There is at Michelin Star prices!

That said, I do regularly shell out. Sometimes it's a rip-off, other times  you get goodly quantities of unusual cheeses.

That's it. Pogi in pink. Can he win 20 stages? He even had a crash.

Plucky Brit Geraint Thomas came in 3rd.

And well done Demi Vollering for winning the Vuelta Espana Feminine

Booked for Tommy Banks' gaff Roots in York a few months ago. Got an email from them last night saying "Book a meal on Wednesday or Thursday in May or June and get a free wine flight of our in house canned wines!". Bugger I thought, but then noticed it said "If you have already booked, send an email if you're interested"

Interested? It's a freebie! It may be 1846 since my last Yorkshire born ancestor left for Derbyshire, but it has left me with shorter than average arms and longer than average pockets! And I'm sure a Michelin starred restaurant wouldn't serve up tinny tasting wine in tins, so off an email went.

Got an email back today saying of course we can make use of the offer and my booking is amended Only trouble is, now I'm saving money I'll splash out on the optional cheese course...

Giro start day today, so I had to enter cycling couch potato mode. Could have gone out this morning I suppose, but the bike really did need its chain cleaning and lubeing, in fact the whole bike needed cleaning, hadn't been done in weeks.

Thankfully it's now May and the sun sets later, it's also warmer at last so I managed a couple of hours out. Nice to average over 16mph in ages, well a week, but last week was flat.

Today included the "giant" of the Col du Wigley, managed the second fastest time of the day up it, Mark Walsham was 4 seconds quicker than me, I'll let him off, he was a pro at one time, had two second places on the tour of Britain in his career, but he was riding with his wife today.

Good to get 35 miles in and I feel better for it.

https://www.strava.com/activities/11332325285

I think Pogi really did want to try and win all 21 stages. But I don't think he'll mind now that he can't so long as he has some fun.

Riverside: Lost'n'Found - Live in Tilburg (Aptly, for Giro start day it's on Pink vinyl)

Pogi can be beaten! Only got third today!

Well played Jhonatan Narvaez. Plucky Brit Geraint Thomas came in 10th, which is better than I thought he would, always comes in a bit undercooked for a Grand Tour.

Cream - Disraeli Gears

It may not have been the greatest year weatherwise - too much rain and wind - but the Robins and Blackbirds in our garden have fledged chicks. Never known it so early, I suppose that it hasn't been too cold this year. Not been warm, but not cold.