Got this fuzzy pic - and more - myself



First time I've seen them

I don't know if I can cope with this warm sunny weather! Just doesn't feel right after the year we've had so far and my head feels cooked. I suppose I shouldn't really complain.

Got to make the most of it, because I've got five Riverside gig in ten days coming up, so got to work those legs as much as possible. Could have worked them harder as it was just 40 miles today, but I've not been doing many of those and at least my ride was quicker than the last time I did it, even with a snarled up Chesterfield town centre.

Up on Beeley Moor I heard my first Cuckoo of the year. In fact the first Cuckoo I've heard in five years as I'm sure I haven't heard one since COVID struck. Hopefully it can find a mate so their chick can empty a little bird's nest.

https://www.strava.com/activities/11376640226

Quote from: Thenop on May 09, 2024, 06:17:12 PMAnyway, TT tomorrow let's see how that works out. I am hoping G will actually come out of his shell.

I think G's shell was weighing him down. Obviously I'm not a DS on a cycling team, but when I saw G was riding a single chain ring with 66 teeth I said to Mrs S that it was too much for an old man. It might be OK for a powerhouse like Ganna, interesting that Pogi rode a double chain-ring set up.

Feel sorry for Ganna, all that time in the hot seat, then the last man out beats you.

Ooh, Cav won today's stage of the Tour de Hongrie, pretty perfect lead out for him.

Quote from: dom on May 09, 2024, 02:34:09 PM

Quote from: Nickslikk2112 on May 09, 2024, 10:38:35 AMRick Wakeman - Birmingham Symphony Hall 23rd February * (8.5/10)
Riverside - Norwich Epic Studios 12th May
Riverside - Birmingham O2 Institute 13th May
Riverside - Koko, London 19th May
Riverside - SWX Bristol 20th May
Riverside - Manchester O2 Ritz 21st May *
Yes - York Barbican 28th May *
Saucerful of Secrets - Gateshead The Glasshouse International Centre for Music 22nd June *
David Gilmour - Royal Albert Hall 12th October *
Steve Hackett - Royal Albert Hall 23rd October *

* Will also be attended by the fragrant Mrs S

Do you mind me asking what you paid for Gilmore - I'm hearing some are paying €249 - that sounds way ott unless he's cooking you a meal after the gig and serenading you both with his acoustic?

Are Hackett tickets similarly priced?

Paid the same as Hassan for my tickets. Steve Hackett was £84.75 (inc. fees)

When you look at what Eagles are charging for front block seats at a half built Arena Gilmour looks good value.

Breakaway did it again today. Pelayo Sanchez outsprinting Alaphilippe and Luke Plapp, all three on their Giro debut.

Took over half the stage to get a breakaway, they were going over 50kmh, bonkers.

Interesting to see Patrick Lefevre handing out a bidon to Alaphilippe, on the commentary they wondered whether it was full of concrete or dust...

Spending the rest of the year's gig ticket budget on David Gilmour at the RAH

I suppose I'd spend that much on a Michelin starred meal out though and what do you really get for that? I suppose I might get a T-Shirt now...

Rick Wakeman - Birmingham Symphony Hall 23rd February * (8.5/10)
Riverside - Norwich Epic Studios 12th May (9.5/10)
Riverside - Birmingham O2 Institute 13th May (10/10)
Riverside - Koko, London 19th May
Riverside - SWX Bristol 20th May
Riverside - Manchester O2 Ritz 21st May *
Yes - York Barbican 28th May *
Saucerful of Secrets - Gateshead The Glasshouse International Centre for Music 22nd June *
David Gilmour - Royal Albert Hall 12th October *
Steve Hackett - Royal Albert Hall 23rd October *

* Will also be attended by the fragrant Mrs S

I've got another couple of 30 milers in to make five in a row. Yesterday was a going back to Winter day, just riding round a flat circuit. Today was a bit more involved with hills going up to the Peak District.

Surprised at how few cyclists were out today, Wednesday is normally a busy day, especially when you get to the tops and more so when it's warm and sunny. Perhaps they'd all overdone it on Monday. Think I overdid the sun getting to my head today, had a helmet on, but the air vents mean the sun can gain access to my thinning scalp. I'll get used to it.

https://www.strava.com/activities/11360354621/

Another nice day's armchair tourism.

Another boring sprint stage which wasn't. Alpecin Deceuninck brought back the breakaway on the midpoint big climb hoping to burn out the other sprint teams. It all came back together and another breakaway went off and got to the end, with Benjamin Thomas getting Cofidis' first win of the season.

Some nasty looking crashes. Christophe Laporte came down on his own, Riley Pickrell cut his head open and Tobias Foss ended up at the bottom of a pile of cyclists. Hope they can all start tomorrow.

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!