Lucky with the first word today, but unlucky with the guess that followed. Got it in two, yesterday.


Wordle 249 3/6

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It was deliberate, since it was your own idea to have that forum. Just a small token of recognition but if you do see duplicate posts, obvious SPAM, misplaced topics or whatever, please do delete or move them if you would.

Strava is excellent, a real Swiss Army knife of an app. If you're a paid-up subscriber you can call up any of the routes you've saved in your account to follow the track on a map while you're cycling.

For people who aren't subscribers and therefore can't save routes in Strava, a good one for following tracks while you're pedalling is GPX Viewer. Pretty simple app - you create a GPX track (lots of utilities on the web to do this) and upload it to the phone. I use Gmail for this usually. Then open the GPX file with the app, mount the phone on the handlebars and off you go!

I believe it uses Google Maps so if you have the area in question downloaded as an offline map, you won't need an Internet connection while you're cycling. Most areas do have decent mobile broadband coverage these days, though.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vecturagames.android.app.gpxviewer

I assume there's an iPhone version as well.

Couple of things .. first thanks to the new members who have joined, happy to be able to keep in touch with all of you.

Secondly - the "forgot my password" function doesn't work yet, because I haven't set up the email config for the site. I'll look into doing that at the weekend. In the meantime if you do forget your pass or have any difficulty logging in, pls email me at:



Also - to make the topics a bit more readable I've taken the liberty of importing a few avatars from TNMS. I hope no-one minds, but if you do please delete them from your profile, or let me know.

Fascinating that Van der Graaf are still going in some form. I only have one of their albums, Godbluff. I also bought a Peter Hammill solo record not that long ago - can't remember what prompted me to do that. Called Over and released in 1977. Surprisingly mainstream.

Glad to see you all here. Yes, sure. Good idea.

Thanks Reg. I love my coffee but I use pretty simple tools .. currently a small cafetiere and Tesco fine ground espresso. I let it brew for 6 minutes and pour into a small quantity of microwaved milk in a mug.

Was using an Aeropress for a while but for some reason it takes about twice the quantity of coffee to make a similar strength cup.

Very nice Reg - but what does it do? 

Is it used to stir coffee beans? Or something like that?

Very happy to see you all, thanks for coming.

Hello Ace! Welcome.

A decidedly windy day but it's been slim pickings so far this month so - since it was at least dry and sunny, I felt I should try and do at least 25. For some reason though, the wind didn't seem so bad once I was underway, even going directly west.

I went up through Coalville and Belton to Isley Walton, up over Swarkestone Bridge, west along the Beloved Flat A Road. I was feeling unusually thirsty for some reason so I decided I'd go as far as the garage near Hatton and buy a drink. I didn't have a lot of water with me. Chilled Lucozade. Lovely. I also ate a cheese & onion pasty I'd brought with me before I mounted my bike to come back the same way.

The return trip, with a tailwind and having fuelled up a bit, was a real joy. Until I stopped for a wee near Willington, and dropped my phone. The screen cracked, rendering it inoperable, and making it impossible for me to send a message to say I'd be later than expected. Even worse, I was using it to listen to the PM's press conference on 5 Live because my DAB batteries had died - and I didn't want to use the spare AAs in case I needed them for the front light. Worst of all, 'er indoors started ringing me and it was impossible to answer calls.

Needless to say she was irate when I returned, and my explanation only placated her partly. But Lib Dem supporters can be impervious to reason, sometimes.

That was a really nice run out apart from writing off my phone. 47.30 miles, but felt more like 35. Beautiful starry night, with all of Orion clearly visible. The fields near the river at Swarkestone Bridge were waterlogged like lakes which was actually quite a beautiful scene.

Only 170 done in February so far. Would really like to get that up to 300 if I can, but it's a short month.

https://www.strava.com/activities/6718185140

The weather forecast promised a day off from the rain and it was sunny when I set off on the Boardman this afternoon. The roads were a bit wet, but nothing too troubling. A strong wind was blowing from the west. I decided to go up and west, along the A road for a bit.

I went out through Swannington, unusually. I used to go that way often, but it fell out of favour. It's a bit rattly on the long downhill stretch.

Up to Isley Walton, then west. The flags outside Donington Park were flying dead straight in the direction I was coming from. The wind was gusting strongly, like an invisible hand lunging at the brake levers.

Not long after I crossed Swarkestone Bridge, the rain started to come down. It only lasted a few minutes. But it came down again fifteen minutes later. As I stood at my favourite rest stop near Willington munching a cheese & onion pasty in the pouring rain, I decided to turn for home. Very nice to have the tailwind coming east.

I came back the quick way through Melbourne and Coleorton.

Despite the wind and the rain I remained in good spirits, and even ascending the North Face of Rotter's Rise in the dark didn't piss me off. Much. By then the rain had stopped again.

Had an extraordinary view of the Moon looking huge just above the horizon near Coleorton, with a streaky cloud in front of it - it looked like a ghostly huge Saturn.

I was listening to Drive on 5 Live, and people were texting in their anecdotes for Random Act of Kindness Day. Here's one to melt the hardest heart. I've just listened to it back on BBC Sounds so I can transcribe it:

Ten years ago my teenage daughter was new to both cycling and London. One very cold winter Sunday she found herself with a puncture to fix at the side of the road with fingers so cold she couldn't do it. A stranger stopped his car and fixed it for her. A third party saw what was happening and posted a picture on social media - of Mark Cavendish fixing her bike.

Feel like I'm leaving the February Fondo a bit late, but next week looks OK weather-wise and I won't be on call.

Back on 31.76 miles, 123 this month.

https://www.strava.com/activities/6698710901

Having fitted a new carbon seat post to the X, a test ride seemed to be in order. It was very nice weather for cycling on the whole this afternoon – dry, sunny, a bit windy and cold but not bad enough to spoil the fun.

I faffed around a bit near home before deciding what to do, then I decided to go up Top Brand to Isley Walton. From there I went west to Melbourne as I often do, but rather than going up over Swosser Bridge I decided I'd turn for home there, but come the long way through Ticknall, Hartshorne, Boundary and Ashby.

I set the seat post slightly too high but apart from that it was fine. I must admit I didn't pay careful attention to the saddle position before I dismantled the old seat post but the riding position felt very comfy. I got the impression that it was a slightly more comfortable ride than usual but that could be psychological, or possibly just a different saddle angle than before.

I also used my Olight torch as a front light. Despite being small and light (it takes a single AA) it's adequately bright, but the battery didn't last that long. I turned it off at some traffic lights for road works near Ashby to save juice, but when I turned it on again it wouldn't come on. I assume the battery was low. Would be ironic if it's a fault as it's one of the very few LED torches that I own that's a reputable brand rather than an anonymous Chinese product.

Had a beautiful view of a half moon in a clear blue sky just before I set off. Didn't notice any stars after dark, though. Actually I did get 15 minutes of rain near Ticknall so it must have clouded over after sunset.

28.17 miles, 91 this month. Enjoyed that one.

https://www.strava.com/activities/6662709425

I used my Xoss bike computer and I was delighted to discover that the phone app now has a feature to replay your route as a 3D aerial view – a bit like that Relive facility that was popular a few years ago. It saves the video to your phone's gallery, but I uploaded this one to YouTube. You can alter the perspective while the track is playing but if you do, it will record your changes to the video (it works as a sort of screen capture function, hence this would have worked better if I'd been holding the phone in a landscape stylee rather than portrait).

This has been a useful one for me:

http://www.masterlyinactivity.com/routemaster/

It's an online GPX track editor. Where I've found it handy is for repairing tracks that I've ruined by forgetting to hit 'resume' on the GPX device for a while, following a rest stop. So you end up with two consecutive track points, separated by a dead straight line a few miles long.

This tool allows you to add new, intermediate track points and drag them to the actual route you took (ie onto the road) to repair the track. It has a few other functions as well, for example you can remove a length of your track, and you can delete or move existing track points. Simple, but effective.

Simple to use, no account needed - just upload your track in GPX format and download when you've edited it.

Not much cycling so far this month, but I was able to leave work reasonably early and set off at 4pm. Cloudy with a hint of dampness in the air, but the forecast reassured me that rain was highly unlikely.

I was going to go up over Swarkestone Bridge and west along the A road for a bit, but I took a longer route to get there, up Top Brand and to Isley Walton. Not long after I took the left turn at Walton though, my saddle started to feel oddly uncomfortable .. a bit low at the back and erect at the front, exactly like it did on a Fondo to Eastwell and back a few weeks ago.

I stopped at Stanton under Bridge to have a look, and yes - it had shifted back again. No worries I thought, I'm sure I left the appropriate Allen key in the frame pack .. but nope, I must have taken it out.

It wasn't too uncomfortable but I didn't fancy going too far, so I turned for home there and then. However rather than take the turn to go south through Melbourne (ie the quick way home), I came back the way I'd come, through Isley Walton.

Stopped to eat a cheese & onion pasty at the top of Top Brand, and a miserable, cold drizzle started to descend. But it only lasted 20 minutes. Took this at Peggs Green.



On a whim I came through Swannington rather than Coleorton over the last couple of miles - something I've only ever done four or five times, since it involves a long, steep climb. I stopped about half way up and could feel my ticker beating like the clappers. Not sure how great that is really for an older gentleman like myself, but I didn't give me any trouble. I do have a friend who had a heart attack while cycling about ten years ago; something I do think about from time to time.

I'd definitely tightened the saddle down properly so I shall look for a new seat post for the X. You can see where the clamp on the seat post has shifted. The single bolt design ones are rubbish.

Back on 25.65 miles, a modest 63 miles this month.