I'm still suffering from a swollen stiffy - anklewise - following Wednesday's Bumblebee sting. Can't believe it's had such a long lasting effect. Would probably have been better if I'd been stung on a fleshier part of the body.

So, I just went out for a couple of hours today, I think actually the swelling went down a bit on the ride, but I couldn't quite put the effort in I normally do and bumpy roads didn't help one bit. The road up from Cutthorpe had been shut this week for all the road markings to be repainted. Why I don't know as all the car drivers ignore them anyway. What the road really needs is resurfacing, but there's nobody within the council highways department who's that smart.

Today's 33 miles gets me to 871 for July, hoepfully I can get out tomorrow to do the 29 to get me to 900.

https://www.strava.com/activities/7555075799/overview

Birth - Born (Blue splatter vinyl)
Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick

Quote from: Nick on July 29, 2022, 06:41:43 PMI remember seeing an advert for its upcoming release in Q magazine and getting excited. Probably the album that was the biggest let down for me. I like the title track and Dog years (don't hate me) and the album cover is quite good.

Nothing wrong in liking Dog Years. I can't abide canines, but the song is a nice little rocker. Again the title track is OK and I can easily resist all the rest of the album.

A copy of Jethro Tull's Thick as a Brick 50th Anniversary Steven Wilson remix arrived today.

Quote from: Slim on July 29, 2022, 09:03:15 AMI didn't realise honey bees and bumblebees were two different things!

We have one native species of Honey Bee and 24 Bumblebee species. Bumblebees only live in small colonies and don't produce much honey.

The one that got me was a Tree Bumblebee - the only one I can recognise with certainty, due to its ginger thorax - I've just read that it's the most aggressive European species and it's only been in the UK since 2001. I can only assume that it got hit by my leg as it was flying along and didn't take kindly to it.

Quote from: David L on July 28, 2022, 12:17:47 PMShould be buried with full Womble honours - Underground not Overground

I suppose they'll be digging a Hole in the Ground.

RIP Bernard

Got three 42 mile rides in this week to get me over 800 miles for July. Hopefully get to 900 at the weekend.

Hopefully, as yesterday I got stung on the ankle by a Bumblebee. I learned something new, that Bumblebees can sting repeatedly. I thought I'd be OK riding today, but my ankle swelled up quite considerably on the ride Been quite painful too, but appears to be subsiding now. I'd always thought Bumblebee stings weren't as bad as Honey Bee or Wasps, but this has been the worst I've had, perhaps due to the multiple sting aspect.

Despite all the bigging up by the Sisterhood and the terminally right-on, I don't think the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is up to the standards of the men. I did enjoy the vineyard tracks in Champagne yesterday - full on barren wasteland - and there have been some good crashes.

Nice to see that Tadej Pogacar's girlfriend is in the race. She seems to spend most of the time at the arrière of the peleton wiggling her pert little derrière at the camera

Now, I will freely admit to being a full on misogynist, but I do find all the banners with "BRAVO LES FEMMES" to be a bit patronising. I don't think you'd get away with "WELL DONE WOMEN" banners in the women's Tour of Britain, it's all a bit Mr Cholmondley-Warner

My Blue Splatter copy of Born by Birth arrived today

Quote from: Matt2112 on July 26, 2022, 08:14:18 PMDuvel is a classic.  Doesn't it translate as "Devil"...?  And apparently with good reason.

It is indeed the Devil I prefer the original Old Duvel Good, New Duvel Bad etc. etc.

Quote from: Basspedalman on July 26, 2022, 06:12:33 PMI had a fall on 27th June and dislocated my shoulder. The shock and impact also knocked me out of sinus rhythm and back into the Atrial Fibrillation I had back in 2019. Just awaiting a referall to be ZAPPED back into a normal rhythm.... Shoulder hurts like feck too!!! X-Ray was really sick-making....

Ouch!

Hope you're soon back to full on Basspedalness

Watched the Chick's Tour de France today. No matter how much the female commentators were bigging it up, it wasn't as good as the Men's. Although that could be because today's stage was a pan flat ride through the barren wastelands of France. Maybe the Vosges - that's Germany really - will liven it up at the weekend.

I also found out how the chicks piss at the side of the road.

Quote from: dom on July 25, 2022, 03:50:06 PM27kms at 22km/h.

What's that in real money?

QuoteAnyway I was into the last 3 to 4 kilometres of the trip when I started feeling nauseous. I had to stop thinking I was going to be sick. I wasn't so I took the last bit of the journey very lesuirely and made it home.

15 mins of laying down and I was back to normal. Never experienced that on a bike before. I have on occasion after over-exertion in the gym.

I'm putting it down to the fact that I hadn't had much to eat the evening beforebut I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has been through this?

I sometimes feel sick before a ride, but that's just nerves.

Anyhoo, I learned something new today, it was my first time changing brake pads on a bike with hydraulic disk brakes. Got the old pads out, put new ones in, but no room for the disc rotor to slot back in. Seems that on hydraulic brakes the brake pistons move out as the pads wear down and you have to get them back in again. Took the gradual insertion of thicker and more strips of plastic to push them back. Jobs a good 'un now.

Quote from: dom on July 25, 2022, 06:56:57 AMI thought Cavendish was unfortunate not to be selected but I can see the logic now. It just wasn't a tour for the bunch sprint

Lot's of people are still moaning about Cav's non selection, but he wouldn't have made it round. Quickstep even abandoned Jakobsen on one Pyrenean stage, and he made the cut by 15 seconds.

That's that then. No more watching people cycle through a barren wasteland until next summer - unless the Tour de Yorkshire gets resurrected - apart from the fact that I've picked up a Free 8 day GCN+ pass so I can spend the next week watching some chicks cycling through a barren wasteland

Even today's stage had some fun though, with Luke Rowe trying to set up a Ganna attack on the last lap, Ganna and Geraint came steaming through to try and Time Trial to the finish only for Pogacar to come steaming by both of them