Cycling 2023

[dom]

Thanks! Just what I'm looking for!

[Slim]

Got called from work early this morning, went back to bed then got up later than I wanted. I'd hoped to get going by about 1030 but in the end I set off an hour later than that. But I didn't want to do a long one anyway. Too cold, and rain was threatened by about 4pm.

A light wind was coming from the south. I decided I'd do maybe 15 miles down the southbound route, then come back.

On the way down I took a large detour toward Bardon from Ellistown. After Newbold Verdon, I decided I'd take the "old"southbound route that goes through Desford, for a change. Then after 16 miles when I came to the crossroads with Hinckley Road, I decided to turn left rather than going straight on to Enderby. That was quite useful; a nice, flat, well-surfaced road that helped me clock up a bit of distance.

Two miles later though, I decided to come back. Having suffered a mechanical failure on my previous ride, I'd started to consider the consequences of another one in the freezing cold, 15 miles from home with 'er indoors in Thailand. And in any case I'd started to penetrate the outskirts of Leicester by this time; the traffic was getting heavier and the surroundings were growing distinctly more urban.

The purpose of the exercise was mainly to accumulate some more distance to bring the target for December down a bit, but I did quite enjoy myself apart from the last couple of miles, when a very cold drizzle descended more than an hour before it was supposed to.

Listened to football and tributes to Terry Venables on 5 Live.

Back on 34.92 miles. 536 done this month.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10285434568

[Slim]

New rear mech arrived. It looks exactly like the old one, got to be a good sign!



The new hanger should arrive tomorrow. I'll leave it until temperatures in the garage are more accommodating before I sort it out, though. March or April, maybe.

[David L]

Sorry to hear of that unfortunate incident Slim. I hope the finger is OK (?)

[Slim]

Yep it's a lot better now thanks David. Still a bit stiff and swollen but getting there.

[Slim]

Decent cycling weather today, if a bit cold. So, with a few days annual leave still to take before the end of December, I took the afternoon off with the intention of doing a fondo. Actually I wanted to do a bit more than 64 miles, to take me to 600 for November.

A very light wind was coming from the west but contrary to my usual protocol, I decided on the eastbound route. I extended it though by taking a detour up Top Brand and past the airport on the way out - which added 4.6 miles (I noticed that I'd done 14.6 miles at my usual 10 mile point, the crossroads with the A6 near Zouch).



Went the usual way after that, and turned back at about 38 miles - more than enough, my mental arithmetic told me, to see me back on 64 miles. I came back the usual way and I'd done 64.92 by the time I got back.

Nice out there in the sun but as soon as I turned homeward I realised the headwind was going to be a bit more annoying than I expected. It didn't really impede progress but it was cold, noisy and a bit in-yer-face.

The temperature dropped quite sharply about half an hour before sunset. I was glad to get home.

I listened to Can's debut album Monster Movie, a Benny Sings album called City Melody and LBC.

601 done this month. Just 338 to reach my target now and I think I should be able to bag another 25 miles or so on Thursday, although the temperature is forecast to peak at 2C.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10296437659

[Nickslikk2112]

Took the Bianchi with its new wheels out for a spin today. They're OK, they go round, what more do you want from a wheel? Probably a bit slower than the Carbon ones, but they're 400g heavier.

Lovely sunny day, not too cold, going to get colder though, could do with a long sleeve base layer just to keep the arms a bit warmer. I'm getting old.

The road up the Cordwell valley was still incredibly wet after yesterday's rain, good job there wasn't a real hard frost last night or it could have been a skating rink, although as a bus route it should be OK. Don't like the old spray of cold water up the bum though.

When I got home I noticed some purple gunk at the top of the seat stays, looked a bit chewing gum like, but a lot softer. This encouraged me to give the bike a clean, there was also a chunk up on the front wheel arch and a big chunk on the back wheel. Can't really think what it was. Kept some on a cloth to show Mrs S, she sniffed it and said it smelt of Blackcurrants. Wonder if I'd run over some sort of energy gel. My fear the worst head wondered if it were grease from the wheel bearings, but I do like to over dramatise.

Managed to escape last weeks run of 25 mile rides and got in the grand total of 33 miles! Need 4 more to get to 400 for November.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10294989645

[Slim]

New / old rear mech hanger. I chose a black one, just to be a bit different.

[Nickslikk2112]

Another sunny day, but the coldness levels were ratcheted up a bit, my toes still haven't warmed up so I'm wondering whether to call it a day for November now, or try to get to 450 miles for the month. We'll see.

With it being so cold I stuck more to the main roads and lower levels today. Even ended up setting some best times - for me - on some segments, but I'd not done them since 2018. Either I'm fitter now than then or was just putting in some effort to keep warm.

Came back through the park at Hardwick Hall, loads of horse shit down the Duke's Drive, but I also think someone's had a Rhino out because there was one huge dollop of a turd at the edge of the road. Huge. Took it steadily on the hill down in case of black ice, but bloody dog walkers are more of a menace. Plenty of icy bits on the road back to Heath, but they were obvious and easy to negotiate.

Once through Heath I thought I could see a pigeon on the other side of the road, but when it took off I saw it was a Sparrowhawk which was sitting on a roadkill Partridge. Thankfully a French (Red Legged) Partridge and not an English (Grey) Partridge.

So that was a chilly 34 miles. If I go out tomorrow I'll dig out the deep winter gloves.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10300711093/

[Slim]

Today's mission, should I choose to accept it - and of course, I did - was to squeeze another 30 miles out of November at the last gasp. This would see me over the 6,000 mile mark for the year, and make this month the highest-scoring of 2023 (beating September's total, 628).

I was pretty much ready to go by the time an afternoon meeting reached its welcome conclusion, and I was away by about 1505. With the wind coming from the north-east, the plan was to do the Eastbound route, with the same detour I did last time through Isley Walton, across to Rempstone or thereabouts, then come back the usual way (sans detour).



However the traffic was really heavy on the A6 before I crossed it and I knew some of it would be turning off through Zouch, so I decided to turn back there and then, and come back using the same detour. I did that.

I wasn't completely sure I'd come back the same way. I don't navigate well backwards. And I couldn't see the bike computer in the dark, so I did a bit of a run along Ashby Road and back to add a couple of miles when I got to the crossroads at the bottom of Top Brand.

Really cold out there, about 3C. Colder than that after dark and a bit uncomfortable.

For some reason I forgot to take a head torch. Not a big problem I thought, as I had a decent torch mounted on the handlebars and a flashy blinker. But the torch ran out of juice about four miles from home so I had to make do with the blinker! It does actually spill a bit of light on the road though so it wasn't too bad.

Listened mainly to Matt Hancock's evidence to the COVID enquiry, then tributes to Shane McGowan.

Back on 31.16. 6005 done this year and only 308 to do in December.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10307698099

[Nickslikk2112]

I didn't go out yesterday. I never warmed up. Just sat shivering and throwing logs into the log burner. Might have helped if I'd lit them...

Anyway, today I forced myself out, new month and the Garmin was recommending a 1hour 27minute base ride. Okey Dokey. I ignored that and just rode as I felt, Base would have entailed averaging 154W a the most, yet in the hour and twenty seven I averaged 184W and didn't feel bad for it. Rode eight miles in single speed mode, trying to work out what I could hear rattling. Turns out the locking ring on the rear brake rotor wasn't on tight enough. Must get the right tool to tighten it, I am a right tool, but the wrong one.

Cold again and some of the lanes were still covered in a layer of snow, manageable, but I plotted better routes to avoid too much. Nice to get a couple of hours in and start December off with 30 miles.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10311050860

[Nickslikk2112]

Went out today, but not for long. Think I need some new gloves, done about four miles and my fingers were froze, could barely operate the gears, so I turned round, of course just before I got home they started to come back to life, so I just did a trip to town and back but then they started to freeze again. It certainly doesn't help having Raynauds either. Still, it got 12 miles in and burnt off just enough calories for some plain chocolate digestives...

[Slim]

A bit of a break in the weather this afternoon although the roads were very wet. I set off determined to do 45 at least, since I hadn't been out on a bike at all this month.

The wind was coming from the north. It was reasonably mild. I did the Eastbound route. Decided to go the old way through Rempstone, as I guessed that the roads might be running with water on the usual way (through Stanford and Soar and Burton on the Wolds) since it runs a bit close to the River Soar.

I turned back after 23.5 miles, but decided to come back the usual way. I was right about the state of the roads. Some of them were flooded in parts. Since I was on the Tricross, a bike which is designed for this sort of thing ostensibly, I ploughed through. The worst of it was only about three inches deep, and only over a few metres.

Back on 47.96. Relieved to have got December off to a decent start. I need to do roughly 10 miles per day on average this month so despite all the awful weather, I'm only a couple of miles behind the curve.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10334186856

[Nickslikk2112]

Wish I could get the best part of 50 miles done in one ride. Barely had enough in the legs for 30 today, although I have had a bit of a dicky tummy the last couple of days so that might play a role in things.

The sun was shining though and if the sun shines, then you go out and ride - unless of course you don't. Yesterday had been much too wet, which after last night's frost caused a few problems. Knowing it could be icy under tyre I took the gravel bike out, but it was much icier than expected down the lanes, I don't know how I safely rounded a corner at the bottom of one hill, apart from the fact I managed to get onto the thin strip of gravel poking through the ice!

Going up to Calow Green was a bit dodgy as well, the whole road surface was glazed with ice. If it's well frozen then it can be not much different from the normal surface. It was well frozen, but a Tesco van coming the other way forced me to stop - going downhill you should give way to those going up - and there was no way I'd get going again, so I took the walk of shame, walking on the grassy bank at the side as the road surface was now too slippery. Caution got me up the next bit of hill in good shape.

Back to the main roads after that. Still had to look out for icy patches but it was nice in the sun and thankfully nowhere near as cold as Saturday.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10337525693/

[Nickslikk2112]

It wasn't raining this morning! Now there's a surprise. Even a bit of sunshine! What does sunshine mean? Bike Ride! Even the Garmin said I could go out - so long as it was a 30 minute recovery ride, how on earth do you do one of those?

How's about 2 hours of VO2max? That's more like it! Wasn't trying for it, but that's how it ended up, too many hills got in the way.

Headed out to Heath to start with, taking in some very wet lanes, like rivers in places, did a loop round Heath, then headed back the way I'd done and over to the back road between Duckmanton and Staveley. Got overtaken by someone on a Titanium bike going up a hill, gah! Nearly caught him up on the flat, then got dropped up the next hill, before eating into his lead on the downhill, then he disappeared. The Ghost Rider?

Then uphill to Apperknowle, a quick circuit up the top and back home for 31.7 miles in a couple of hours. That'll do.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10347697669