Cycling 2022

[Slim]

Bravo, WD40 Degreaser!

I gave the cassette off the Cannondale a quick seeing to with GT85 and an old toothbrush to get the thick of the gunk off. It did do that, but it was still pretty black. This morning I felt guilty about not doing the job properly so I disassembled the cassette completely and sprayed all the bits with WD40 Degreaser. Left it on 5 minutes and the remaining grime just rubbed straight off.

Some of the Shimano branding also came off the locking ring, but I'm not too bothered about that. About half of the bristles fell out of the old toothbrush I was using, as well. Life is hard.

Gave all the cogs a good wash with detergent and dried everything carefully. Will put them on the new wheel this afternoon.



If you've never disassembled a Shimano cassette before, no need to worry about putting it back together. The splines on the freehub are designed so that you can only fit the cogs on the right way round, and unless you're blind you won't put them back in the wrong order.

[Slim]

Another mild evening, another opportunity to bag another 30-odd miles. A moderate wind was coming from the south. I thought I'd go up and west along the A road, although of course this would mean a bit of a headwind over the last few miles.

However - once I was over Swarkestone Bridge I decided to go the other way and penetrate Derby from the south. I took Infinity Park Way, leading to the Rolls-Royce test centre and Aerospace Campus. RR has a lot of real estate over there, it's no wonder they're the city's largest employer.

Rather than come back the same way once I reached the test centre like I have in the past, I followed a signpost into the city centre. From there I just kept going, following my nose. A nice feeling to be back in Derby. I've been feeling quite nostalgic about the place recently. Although despite having lived there a total of 12 years, I had no idea where I was. At one point I saw a place called Oakwood Nursery. Could I possibly have found my way to Oakwood, the part of Derby where I'd bought a house in 1991? Surely I couldn't have, unless I'd pedalled through a worm hole?

I hadn't, it was just the name of the nursery.

Anyway I found my way to a crossroads with a busy main road. I looked right, and saw the "Spider" - the name given by Derby folk (hi) to a roundabout with pedestrian bridges crossing it. I knew exactly where I was then, and a left turn took me straight back to Swarkestone, three miles later. I came back home through Belton, Thringstone and Coalville for a change rather than straight down Top Brand and Coleorton.

I saw a dead crow hanging in a tree near Donington Park. It was suspended by its head, claws dangling. I suppose it must have died in the tree then got its head caught in a branch. Bit of an eerie sight.

I heard my phone ring in my pocket just after I crossed Swarkestone Bridge on the way up. I ignored it, because I'm not on call. But I stopped to check MS Teams on my phone anyway. I saw a message from an HR manager at our head office in Massachussets, asking me to call her.

Uh oh.

I sent back a message to say that I was out on a bike, could she email? "Please call me when you have five minutes", was the reply. I called her there and then by the roadside, slightly hesitantly. She was phoning to apologise about something. She'd given an award for something to someone else called James in the company when it was intended for me, because she got our surnames mixed up. I laughed.

Looking at the track on Strava I didn't penetrate Derby very far, but I did visit a part of it (Boulton) where I'd never been before. Perhaps I'll work out a route that takes me to my old house, it's not easy though to avoid dual carriageways.

Back on 39.0 miles, which my spreadsheet tells me is the median distance so far this year.

https://www.strava.com/activities/7922317417

[Nickslikk2112]

Out fairly late today, what with having a prospective buyer to show round my dad's house and then the finish of il Lombardia to watch - well done Pog a 100% record - it was gone four by the time I'd left the house.

I did wonder about going out in summer kit still, but a long-sleeved jersey whilst a bit too warm at first was really needed as the sun dropped to the horizon. I was suffering a bit from a shortness of breath too, Mrs S has been emptying cupboards at my dad's and I think some of the old perfumes and unguents of my mum's which she tipped down the sink, have triggered a bit of an allergic reaction in me. Funnily enough my old mum used to moan about the same.

Still, I picked up as the ride went on and good to get in another 40 miles but by 'eck sunset's early now!

https://www.strava.com/activities/7932175929/

[Slim]

Definitely a fondo day today. With the wind forecast to come from the west, I plotted a route last night that would combine the Upper Westbound route (up over Swarkestone Bridge, west along the Beloved A Road) with the Lower Westbound route on the way back, the two being joined by a route down through the A515 and Abbots Bromley.

I set off at 10:05. I was tempted to take the X so I could check it out following its service, but that would have been unwise for a long ride. So I rolled out the Boardman again.

A few puddles but nothing unavoidable. Unfortunately rather than going straight up to Melbourne I drifted up through Peggs Green and up Top Brand, on autopilot. I just wasn't thinking about what I was doing. I got back on track by taking a detour through Breedon and Lount for a change, rather than Isley Walton and King's Newton, which would be my usual method to get to Melbourne from there.



And when I arrived at the aforementioned Derbyshire town which shares its name with Australia's second-most populous city, I realised that my misnavigation had added more than 6 miles onto my ride. I compensated for that by coming straight down to Yoxall on the southbound part of the ride, rather than all the way west and south (respectively) to Abbots Bromley and King's Bromley. This meant that I came back through Walton and Coton rather than Alrewas, Croxall, Edingale and Lullington as I'd intended, but oh well - still a nice route.

Really a nice day out on the bike apart from an uphill slog for a mile coming down the A515. Cool in the morning, especially when the Sun disappeared behind a cloud but it was much warmer, and consistently sunny in the afternoon. I'd brought a backpack to stuff layers of clothes into, fortunately.

I judged the distance pretty well following the navigation hiccup and the compensatory short cut later on; just had to take a detour through Ibstock over the last couple of miles to finish on the fondo distance. Back on 62.56 miles. 204 done this month, target is 350 but I hope I can tack on the deficit from last month.

https://www.strava.com/activities/7931564857

[David L]

We are enjoying a 10-night holiday in Kent at the moment. Currently on a site just outside New Romney.
On Friday we had a short ride of around 17 miles taking in Lydd On Sea, Dungeness and stopping off at Lydd for a couple of beers at The Dolphin. None of it could really be described as 'off-road' but enjoyable nonetheless. A highlight was The Snack Shack at Dungeness. I had a scallop roll (slaw/chilli jam), Clare had a fresh fish flatbread (avocado/slaw/spinach/sour cream/chilli jam). We shared a portion of fried potatoes. Fantastic! The trip advisor reviews are not wrong! The lowlight was being caught in a brief two-minute hailstorm as we passed the power station at Dungeness - bleak. Oh, and one of the grimmest pubs ever visited, The Britannia Inn also at Dungeness (a poor half of Guinness).
Yesterday we decided to follow another route found on the Komoot app to Rye via Camber Sands. Nearly all of the ride from Lydd is a designated cycle route (2) with mostly paved track. Very pleasant..and fast.
At Camber, we stripped down to our swimmers and took a dip. The weather was great for October, sunshine all day, which helped us to dry off. The water temp was about as warm as it's likely to be so after the initial shock it was quite comfortable.
On reaching Rye we alighted on a bench in the park for our packed lunch before a little bit of exploration. A couple we met on the track into Rye recommended The Mermaid which we came across almost by accident on a steep cobbled street. A lot of the buildings in Rye were rebuilt in the 15th century after being destroyed by a devastating fire (the original Mermaid was built in the 12th century). I enjoyed a half of Mermaid ale, Clare enthused over the Appleshed cider.
We rode down to Rye Harbour (1.5 miles) but a huge disappointment. Although the William The Conqueror served Whitstable Bay pale ale, it was not worth the extra three miles, tbh.
We then visited a real gem, The Waterworks micropub. Awarded the Camra South East best pub in 2020 and 2021, it is situated on the corner of a street in an old water company building. Very quirky interior and good selection of beer. I had a Romney American Pale Ale, Clare enjoyed a Tenterden cider.
Back to the campsite via Lydd with a slight unplanned detour along a bridleway due to my failing to follow the route correctly! A pretty overgrown single-track ensued. Lots of brambles left their mark on my bare legs!
A good ride but a frustrating end due to my incompetence. Clare was not amused!

[Slim]

I stopped and examined it and the freehub was freely spinning both ways. I did manage to get it working briefly - but only very briefly; I got another half or mile or so out of it. So of course I called 'er indoors and she came out to collect me. I walked the bike some of the way back, and even managed to roll down a couple of descents on it.

I've got the new wheels on the Cannondale now (not tried them yet), but I took apart the freehub body on the old rear wheel to have a look. It wasn't gummed up or grimy in there as I'd suspected (or not much). Nor were the pawls worn down. The problem was that the spring that makes them stick out and connect with the hub had broken. As soon as that happens, the next time you freewheel they'll go flush against the barrel and they have no incentive to come out again to push the wheel round.

A bit disconcerting that your ability to get home depends on what is actually a pretty flimsy bit of coiled wire.

[Nickslikk2112]

Cycling, it's great isn't it.

On my Sunday ride the front disc brake was making the most hideous squealing when applied. I was almost, almost, embarrassed by it, but I have no shame. So, yesterday on my bike fettling day, I gave the disc rotor a good clean with isopropyl alcohol. For good measure I did the rear rotor too. I then thought the rear disc pads were rubbing and was driven spare trying to sort it out until I noticed I'd misplace the cap thing from the front derailleur and the cable end was rubbing against the tyre...

Did the cleaning cure the squeal? For the first 25 miles yes, but then it started up again. Must pick roads with gentle descents to go down.

Not long after the squealing started again, I heard a metallic snapping sound. WTF was that? I thought the front brake might have gone, or the chain, I thought about a spoke snapping but there was no insistent hitting of a spoke end against anything. Turned out it was a snapped spoke.

Second time I've had a spoke snap on the same wheel. It was the original rear aluminium wheel the Bianchi came with, which I put back on a couple of weeks ago because the rear tyre was getting thin and I couldn't be arsed to go through a tubeless tyre change again. Well, with a buggered rear wheel I thought I'd put my emergency spare tyre on the carbon wheel. Big mistake. Took ages to get the bugger on, then it would not inflate. Thought I'd put a tube in took ages to get the tyre off then another bloody age to get it back on again. Managed to tear all the tendons in my fingers. Probably.

https://www.strava.com/activities/7945990220/overview

[Fishy]

Not raining for once so managed to get out for a couple of hours yesterday.. 35 miles.. similar to last couple of routes.. some hazy sunshine with some strengthening winds... out via Auchencruive towards Stair then onto Coylton.. Dalrymple. Minishant then up n over Carrick Hills and home...

[David L]

We've now moved up to Seasalter just a mile or so west of Whitstable.

We had it in mind to do the Sustrans route 15 from Whitstable to Reculver, known as The Oyster Trail. However, having done this in good time we decided to go the extra miles to Birchington on Sea (The Viking Trail). A great ride, mostly along the seafront, flat as a pancake too. Good surfaces for 90% of the way with great views.

On returning to our site, we'd done a little over 30 miles, all at a fairly moderate pace.

I'd like to explore this route a bit more at some point. I think getting the train down to Ramsgate and riding back to Whitstable would be nice, taking in Broadstairs and Margate.

We're impressed with Whitstable so we'll probably be back. The only downer was encountering a hedge-cutting tractor on the short section just west of Reculver. I've got a thorny twig stuck in my front tyre at the moment, bound to cause a flat when removed.

[Nickslikk2112]

Lovely day for it today - and cycling - clear blue skies, warm enough for bib shorts and NO WIND!!!!

Can't remember the last still day we had like that, certainly not been many this year. The lack of wind helped me to my best time of the year up the Col de Wigley. Only my second-best time of the year up the Harewood Road climb though, I'd realised by then that I'd put too much in going up Wigley, it was the lack of a headwind see, encouraged me to push on more than usual.

That got another 44.7 miles into the bag. Got another bag when I got home, a new Jersey and pair of bib tights in it from Le Col, the DFS of cycling clothing, never paid full price from them yet. The Jersey is a lovely colour as well, one has to look stylish don't you know

https://www.strava.com/activities/7956561066

[Slim]

A sunny, mild day with a very light wind coming from the south, a moderate temperature and no chance of rain, according to the forecast. I was tired, from having to stay up until 0215 last night (and the night before) to perform scheduled work for a customer that took (literally) all of ten seconds each time. But I wanted to do a fondo nonetheless, especially since I hadn't found the time to ride a bike for a few days. Perfect conditions for the southbound route.

I left work as soon as I could. I wanted to take the Cannondale as a test ride, since it has two new wheels. But as I examined it in the garage I noticed that the front tyre was completely flat. Now - it may well be that I let all the air out myself to fit the front wheel on through the brake pads, but I certainly wasn't going to take the risk. So I took the X, also due a test ride since its recent service.

It's not really a great idea to do a long ride on a newly-serviced bike, just in case one of the new cables haven't been fitted properly, or the headset hasn't been tightened properly, or a bolt hasn't been torqued correctly. Or whatever. However I was keen to verify that all was well with it (and in particular that the freehub had been fixed; it had been sticking). So that was a risk I was prepared to take.

Really nice out there. I stopped at my favourite village shop at Gilmorton on the way down and treated myself to a bit of a feast there. Warm enough to sit at the table outside. And it was here that I realised that I hadn't brought my LED torch, which I'd intended to use as a front light. I did have a head torch with me, and a flashy blinker - but I wasn't sure that this particular head torch would be adequate to light the country lanes in front of me on the way back. I'd done 25 miles at this point. It would probably be wiser to turn for home, once I'd finished my coffee. But I decided to go for the fondo distance regardless and hope for the best.

I didn't go all the way down to Welford and the Northamptonshire border, as I normally would. I turned back as soon as I'd done the requisite fondo mileage (factoring in that I would take a slightly longer route on the way back by going along Wood Road a few miles from home).

It all went well. No problems with the bike, it's rolling very nicely, the freehub isn't sticking any more and all the gear changes were fine. It would be an exaggeration to say that the head torch was adequate, but I got away with it. Very enjoyable run out except for the idiot in a beanie hat near Stoney, who, while overtaking another oncoming vehicle, decided to aim his car at me and swerve away at the last minute for a laugh.

Saw a bright yellow helicopter hovering maybe ten metres above a field about 200 metres away near Newbold Verdon. It was there for at least two minutes, can't imagine what that was about. And I had a lovely view of a glider coming in to land at Husbands Bosworth airfield.

Back on 62.56 miles, that was the 24th fondo of the year and the third this month. It could well be a quadruple-fondo October!

https://www.strava.com/activities/7958847090

[David L]

Another great ride on the mtbs today. Starting from Whitstable, we rode south on the Crab and Winkle Way towards Canterbury. Around two miles from the city centre we veered off to Rough Common and took the trail through the Blean Woods RSPB nature reserve. On exiting the woods we headed towards Faversham.

A half pint of Mad Cat in the Phoenix Tavern and another half a Shepherd Neame Late Red in The Albion, alongside  the creek. We then followed cycle route 1 to Graveney to alight at The Four Horseshoes (half a Wainright Gold on keg) and a quick sprint to return to our campsite at Seasalter.

A round trio of around 24 miles. A great ride with a nice selection of terrain. No climbs to speak of but the most climbing we've done on this trip (825ft).

That will be the last of our rides in Kent. I'm sure we'll return

[Nickslikk2112]

Nice out there again today, if you were out of the wind. If. Certainly still warm enough for shorts, especially going uphill. Had to overtake someone uphill today, I did think I'd just drop in behind him and wheelsuck for a bit, but he was too slow for my liking so I put a dig in and went by - just as the slope hit 14% I had to keep digging in a bit longer than I liked...

Still, got another 40 miles in. Only 400 behind this time last year now.

https://www.strava.com/activities/7967710067/

[Slim]

Didn't want to go too far today as I was feeling a little worn down from the combined effects of a fondo on Thursday, a gig in Stoke last night and two overnight jobs at work earlier in the week. Minimally though I wanted to do 34 miles, to get the October mile count up over 300.

I thought I'd do some variation of a Twycross Bypasser, with an excursion down the Dad's Army route at the bottom. The wind was coming from the south-west, ideal for this route.

I wanted if possible to go right down to Kingsbury Water Park, which I hadn't done since I first did this ride just over two years ago. I didn't upload the route to a GPS app or anything like that, I just hoped I'd remember it. I wouldn't be overly troubled if I didn't. One change I made was to join the A5 earlier, to avoid the twisty, climby, gravelly little narrow track near Dordon. A case of a choice of two extremes, neither particularly desirable.

I turned off the A5 after two miles of it. A mile later I was convinced that I'd taken the wrong exit, or missed a turn somewhere, because I didn't recognise where I was at all. In fact (as I discovered later by scrutinising the track on Strava) I was on exactly the right road, and if I'd stayed on it another four or five miles I would have arrived at Kingsbury Water Park.



But I didn't. I decided to take a left turn signposted to a place called Wood End. Half a mile later I was confronted with a uncompromising-looking hill. I'd done 22 miles at this point, so I opted to turn back. I rejoined the Bypasser route five miles or so later, and continued home through Sheepy, Bilstone, Barton in the Beans, Odstone and Heather.

Took the above pic on the A5 on the way back.

Saw a very large number (a murder?) of crows in a field near Barton, about half of them airborne. Something seemed to have agitated them. And there was a beautiful partial rainbow visible from Gibbet Lane, with all the ROYGBIV constituent colours clearly distinguishable. I was going to take a bike pic with it in the background but by the time I'd found a suitable spot, it had faded a bit. So I didn't bother.

The roads were a bit wet from overnight rain when I set off, but soon dried off. I did hit a patch of wet roads again on the way back near Heather, though I hadn't picked up a spot of rain on the ride. I'd guessed that might happen when I saw the rainbow segment hovering over that general direction.

Back on 43.20 miles which takes me to 310 this month. Another 117 to do to hit this month's target + last month's deficit.

https://www.strava.com/activities/7967477196

[Nickslikk2112]

And another 40 miles under the wheels today. Takes me over 6,000 for the year and 470 for October.

Just did a bit of random riding around today, my regular Sunday route has a couple of sets of roadworks on uphill sections so I decided to avoid those. I then got caught up in a road closed situation due to a car smash. Two fire engines, three police cars and an ambulance were there and the Filthocopter was circling overhead. I managed to sneak my way through, but it put the kibosh on a loop I was going to do a few of.

https://www.strava.com/activities/7973793052