Cycling 2023

[Nickslikk2112]

Well, that's September all done and dusted. From last week's forecast for this week I thought I'd get over 600 miles in, but alas it was not to be.

Tuesday was rained off. Yesterday I got out hoping for a 40 miler, but rain put paid to that and I ended up on 23 miles.

Today I completed what I intended to do yesterday and got 41 miles in. Just stayed locally and did four circuits from Barrowhill. On the climb up Long Lane my times were all within 4s of each other, which was pleasing as I felt knackered up the last one. Slower than yesterday due to a switch from a South East to South West wind.

Jut the 555 miles in September, leaving me over 1,000 miles behind last year's end of September tally and that's with being fully retired for a year and not just for four months like last year!

[Slim]

Once again I started work at a preposterous hour - working from home allows you to spring out of bed and start at 0530 if you wake up early and feel like it - so I was able to leave early with a view to getting a fondo in. I'm unlikely to be able to do one at the weekend now due to another commitment on Sunday, and dodgy weather on Saturday afternoon.

The wind was coming from the south so I did the regular southbound route. Once I again I didn't bother going right down to Welford, I just turned back on the half fondo distance.



The headwind was a bit stiff on the way down, but I see I managed a few PRs (as usual, without trying to) on the way back.

The animals in the photo are, I believe, bulls rather than cows. One of them tried to mount one of the other ones while I was taking a wee. They all came right up to the fence. Last time I parked a bike against a fence next to some cows a few years ago one of them started to lick the saddle, so I withdrew the bike to a safe distance this time.

Stopped at the bench at Gilmorton for a quick snack on the way back, but didn't use the village shop this time.

Listened to Cockney Rebel's The Best Years Of Our Lives which I hadn't played since I was 16. It really is a great record, just as I remembered. What a shame it took me the best part of 50 years to revisit it.

Also listened to an interview with Michael Palin on 5 Live. Michael is 80 now.

Back on 62.44. 628 this month and 4777 this year, so 6000 looks doable.

Six fondos this month! Pleased with that.

[Slim]

A decent weather day for a change and certainly mild enough, so I left work early to kick off the October cycling month. I had half a mind to do a fondo and had taken food and lights, but a strong suspicion that I'd end up doing 40 or so instead.

I chose the Lower Westbound route, with a slight modification in that I went via Packington. Unusually, I came back that way as well, normally I avoid it due to the long climb from Measham.

Stiff wind coming from the west, but it wasn't too bothersome. The BBC promised 0% chance of rain, but I did get a few spots of rain for te n minutes near Lullington.

Got as far as Kings Bromley, by which time I'd decided I wasn't going to do a fondo. I'd done 21.5 miles. I turned right at the T junction there (always turned left before, toward Abbots Bromley) to go exploring. But there wasn't much to see. I turned for home half a mile later. Should manage a long one at the weekend, the weather looks good.

Listened to an interview with Adrian Edmonson on 5 Live. Then I listened to the Kiss debut album. Back on 45.5 miles.

https://www.strava.com/activities/9977043649

[Nickslikk2112]

Finally made it out in October and it's still warm enough for short sleeves and bib-tights

Could probably have got out yesterday but it kept threatening to rain so I kept putting it off. Decided to hop on the Turbo Trainer for an hour and it cleared up beautifully. Hey-ho.

Actually did the recommended by the garmin sprint training on the Turbo. It was awful. Twenty minute warm up, then twenty repeats of trying to average 550-650W for 10s then cool down for 20s. Five minutes of low wattage then repeat the twenty again. Bloody resistance on the trainer increased massively for the 10s bits and I could barely turn the pedals round. Hit the target once out of forty.

Recommend session on the road today was sprint training again. Bollocks to that I don't want to be Cav. Just stayed locally but tried my own sprint intervals. I can do 550W for 10s on the road when it's flat. Wouldn't conceive of doing it on a busy road though.

So, I managed almost 36 miles and managed to get back my preferred way today now bloody roadworks have cleared up.

https://www.strava.com/activities/9974590106

[Nickslikk2112]

Got another 35 miler in today. Still warm enough to bare the old arms and legs, but a good job it didn't start raining until I got home.

Did three laps of a circuit setting consistent times up hilly bits. Which was nice.

https://www.strava.com/activities/9980928768

[Slim]

Didn't leave work particularly early, but I didn't want to do a particularly long one. Will probably do a 100 miler on Sunday, all being well. A powerful wind was coming from the south-west, so I did a bypasser.

Listened to Kiss' Hotter Than Hell and Greg Howe's Wheelhouse. Very nice out there early on, sunny and warm enough to have the old legs out. Cloudy later. Then dark. Back about 50 minutes after sunset.

Normally I like to include the bike in a scenic pic, but there was nothing useful to lean it against for this one. From Orton Lane looking west into Warwickshire.



Back on 40.45 miles.
https://www.strava.com/activities/9989344679

[Nickslikk2112]

If, and it's a big if, if I have a failing in life then it's procrastination. Back in June the front derailleur cable went on my Bianchi broke and I still haven't got round to fixing it. Hey, I have more bikes. Then yesterday the rear derailleur cable on the Giant showed signs of giving up the ghost - won't work across all the rear cassette.

Still, I've got the gravel bike, but I don't fancy riding off road at the moment, the weather's still good. so I swapped out the chunky tyre wheels and stuck the Bianchi's decent set of road wheels on. The power pedals too.

Even though the gravel bike is low geared I find it slower uphill, I think because I ride in the same gear on the rear cassette which with the smaller chainrings makes it a much lower gear than I'd normally be in. Then again there was a stiff wind today, looking at the figures I was putting out the same power which has got me up the hill through Cutthorpe over a minute quicker.

It sure was nice out there for October - apart from the wind - and apart from close passing berks in mercs. This Global warming lark has a lot going for it

https://www.strava.com/activities/9995357137/

[Slim]

Warm sunshine was forecast for today with a light wind coming from the south, so I decided a run down to Northampton and back was in order. I'd planned to set off at about 0830 but as usual I woke up early and decided to get up and get on with it. I was away just after sunrise at 0720.

Cool at that time of day, but I'd applied several layers. I stashed my fleece, long-sleeved tunic and leg warmers into my camo bag and hid it in a hedge after the first 37 miles. The temperature had climbed very quickly over the preceding half hour. I should have stashed it earlier really, it was annoying having a stuffed camo bag in my backpack on the last 37 miles home.

I arrived at Northampton before noon having done 46 miles. I first visited the town 40 years ago this year. My girlfriend at the time was studying for a degree at Nene College, which is the reason I went there in the first place. So I thought I'd see I could find the old campus where she studied, and lived in Halls for her first year. But I couldn't find it. Maybe it's been closed down now.



On the way back, wanting to add a few miles I took a left for a place called Ravensthorpe to go exploring but I turned back to the usual route after about a mile when I found myself about to go down a steep-ish hill. Later on I took a right to go past the gliding club near Husbands Bosworth. Didn't see any gliders taking off this time, but there were three parked on the grass. My excursion added about three miles, enough to see me home on triple figures.

Stopped at the Co-op at Stoney Stanton after 18 miles for two warm croissants, then later at the petrol station at Welford on the way back for a bit of a feast including a Magnum ice cream, which I consumed on the bench opposite.

Just lovely out there, like a warm summer's day. I don't think there've been many October days when I've been out cycling in shorts and a short-sleeved top.

I listened mostly to Talk Radio, a bit of footy on 5 Live and the Kiss album Dressed to Kill. Then I started the next Reacher novel, Gone Tomorrow.

Back on 100.44.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10001634689

[Nickslikk2112]

Got a near 35 miler in today to get me to 140 road miles for the week. Would have been a shame to miss this nice weather and having watched the Tour of Turkey, the World Gravel championships (gravellier than last year) and Fem van Empel pulverising the rest of the field in the women's CX I thought I out to get out there and put rubber to tarmac.

It was just a case of meandering around today to reach a suitable total. Did Thursday's 3x loop backwards just the once today. Funny how different it seems in reverse. Then went up past the Hardwick Halls, nice to have no traffic coming up behind me on the way up with it being late in the afternoon, so no need to flog it trying not to hold up my Lords and Masters in their vehicles of entitlement.

Feels funny working up so much of a sweat in October and a pity the sun sets before 18:30 now.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10002234912/

[David L]

Absolutely gorgeous cycling day today. We took the road bikes out for a 35-miler. It felt like mid-summer out there. A fairly regular flat route out to Charney Bassett. After 25 miles we stopped off for a light lunch of sausage roll, carrot cake and cappuccino at Lynwoods in Bampton. Back to Witney for a relaxing four pints sat in the sunshine outside The Fleece and The Horseshoes.
A belter of a day and probably the last hurrah of summer

[Slim]

A temperature of 20C was forecast for the afternoon, so I donned minimal cycling clothing for probably the last time until March or so and left work early to take advantage of the last gasp of summer.

I wanted to do about 40 miles, but realised half way through the ride that I hadn't brought a mount for the front light, so I decided to keep it fairly short. I did do 38.71 in the end.

Listened to 5 Live for as much as I could stomach - Labour's media wing can be intolerable during their party conference. Then the Kiss album Destroyer.



Wore contact lenses again, they're great for cycling except that for some reason, although my left eye is unaffected, my right eye goes very teary. I must look like I'm in some sort of asymmetric emotional distress.

I took the pic at Newton Burgoland, a few miles from home. For full disclosure, I have digitally removed the Flag of St George and replaced it with the Union Flag.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10014259413

[Nickslikk2112]

Before today's ride, I had a look back to see what sort of ride I did on this Tuesday last year. Found out it was a 42 miler with a temperature of 11C. Today's ride was over a similar parcours and ended up at a shade over 40 miles in a temperature of 18C.

What I also noticed, from my ride title was that I had a rear wheel spoke break. Guess what? I had a rear wheel spoke break again today! Lightning strikes twice! It was on one of my good wheels today though, snapped off right against the wheel rim. All down to hitting a pothole. I  know its there, but today I was concentrating on watching what the van in front of me was doing, he kept speeding up and slowing down and was showing signs of turning right, but no indicators on. Forgot where I was on the road and BANG! hit the hole. Checked all my teeth first as they got well rattled, then the front wheel, that seemed OK, the rear wheel though looked out of true. I stopped found the broken spoke and was glad I was only a mile from home so took it steadily back.

Doubt the council would be bothered with the pothole as it's not big enough to worry car drivers, but is just the right size - 8" x 2" - to trouble cyclists.

Apart from that it was a nice ride, good views up the Hope Valley and over to Kinder Scout and the chance of fast descents with a tail wind.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10011992041

[Slim]

I've just noticed that my last ride was my 100th of this year, and took me over 5,000 miles done in 2023. I'm now 2 miles short of the 2017 total (5004) and 38 short of the 2021 total (5040).

[Nickslikk2112]

It's Autumn. Had to put on bib-tights and a long sleeved jersey today. Well, I didn't have to, I think I would have coped going uphill but got a bit chilly on the downhills.

Gravel bike is now in full gravel set up, but I kept to the roads today, although most are in such a state that they're not far off being gravel tracks. I'd then barely gone a mile when I found the way blocked by a couple of fallen trees. If only I could bunny-hop. Although there's a chance they could have been big branches dropped there by the builders truck filled with car tyres and old car seats which had potentially been disturbed by me and a car coming the other way.

After that it was a nice ride out, didn't go the route I'd planned in my head, but there's always the weekend for that. Didn't fancy too steep a hill today. So I ended up on 36 miles for the day instead of 40, but then I'm not sure the planned ride would have been 40 anyway. Maybe I'll find out one day.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10024721465/

[Slim]

A day that I probably would have called "mild" this time last year, but because we've been spoiled recently it didn't really feel like it.

Still - I wrapped up in a few layers and was comfortable enough. A light wind was coming from the south-west so I thought I'd do 20 or so miles of the Lower Westbound route, then come back. In fact I realised - again - that I'd forgotten to bring a front light mount, so I cut it a bit shorter than I wanted again. Turned back after about 18 miles. On a whim though I continued along Acresford Road on the way back instead of turning for Measham, and I came through Appleby Magna and Starestone on the way back.

I listened to Kiss' Rock and Roll Over and 5 Live.

Back on 36.96, and that's 262 done this month.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10027265625