Cycling 2023

[Slim]

A rain-free day was promised, not too cold and not overly windy. Clearly I had an opportunity to do the March fondo on my hands.

I'd intended to set off at about 1000 this morning but slept in until 0950. But I was off on the Roubaix by about 1040.

I did the Upper Westbound route, which has now been modified so that it doesn't take a left turn to Marston Montgomery at the north-western end, because that turned out to be a bit rubbish last time - gravelly and twisty. So I pushed up Ashbourne Road and turned back after about 31.5 miles.



On the way back, after Melbourne, I decided on a whim to take a left turn to Wilson instead of coming back the usual way. Partly because I couldn't be bothered with Rotter's Rise, but partly because I thought it would squeeze a bit of adventure out of the ride. I don't actually know the best way home from Wilson so I thought it would be fun to navigate my own way back. As it happens I took two really stupid turns that elongated my ride significantly, in both cases because I thought it would be the quickest way back.

I did come to regret my impromptu orienteering because I had to negotiate quite a lot of sharp climbs. Still - nice run out overall. Back on 66.06 miles.

Listened to the rest of the Reacher novel, The Hard Way. Very good. The story moves from downtown Manhattan to rural Norfolk, and I must say the voice actor who reads the audiobook doesn't come anywhere near getting the Norfolk accent right for the locals who speak in the book. They sound something like a cross between a slow-witted Irishman and an Eastern European.

I enjoyed being out on the Roubaix again for the first time since August but I think the saddle is set a bit lower than my other bikes. But I may acquire a carbon seat post for it soon.

https://www.strava.com/activities/8743139081

[dom]

Cycling has been a bit hit and miss this year. I'd like to get out more but circumstances have not allowed me to.

I got out on both Saturday and Sunday this weekend for the first time since probably last autumn this weekend. Only short spins. The interesting thing about them is that I'm giving intermittent fasting a go. I'm trying the 16:8 method where you don't eat for 16 hours then you have an 8 hour window when you do eat. For me that means ensuring that I've eaten by 8pm and then skipping breakfast. It's going ok but since I started 3 weeks ago whenever I went out for a morning spin I always had something to eat beforehand.

Then I discovered that when you wake up you have something like 2000 easily available calories in your system. So I went out without breakfast to put it to the test. I brought a banana with me and knew there were a couple of garages and shops along the way if I bonked, but no all good. No need to stop or eat the banana and I went around in the sort of time I would expect.  Think I'll keep doing this for a while anyway.

[Nickslikk2112]

I do 8:16 intermittent fasting. Don't eat for the 8 hours I'm asleep and then trough for the next 16!

Got out for a thirty miler today, which means I've had my cyclingest week of the year. Don't think I'll beat it next week. Even if I went on the Turbo every day I doubt I'd do 100 miles a week. The bedroom floorboards would rot too.

Tried the Garmin 1040's route feature today, not that I needed the directions, but thought I'd give the ClimbPro feature a test. It finds the hills on your route and tells you how much elevation gain there is and how far to the top. I think it demoralises me, I have a good idea how far I have to climb anyway, but when you can see the exact details it's disheartening.

https://www.strava.com/activities/8742960752

[Fishy]

Bike in the shop for its annual MOT

[Nickslikk2112]

Managed to get over 500 miles for the year today. This time last year I was off the bike for a fortnight with COVID so if I can do another 230 miles by 2nd April I'll be level with where I was last year. I was still at bloody work last year too.

Way I feel after today's ride it'll be a fortnight before I'm out again, it was bloody hard work uphill into the wind. Set my second slowest time out of 95 up to Barlow Grange and the slowest was only because of roadworks. At least I managed to overtake someone on the way up. Heard some Curlew and a Skylark once up on the tops. It must be spring

Got overtaken on the flat on the way back though and if I'm right it was someone older than me, but he was 6th in the Commonwealth Games in 1984

https://www.strava.com/activities/8757959345

[Fishy]

One of the best days for a while and only realised this morning that the bike shop is shut today..so hopefully get back out tomorrow...

[Nickslikk2112]

Got out again today for another 30 miler. Not too bad a day apart from a blustery wind and the occasional spot of rain. Looked like I missed the main body of rain though as the last three miles back home had very wet roads.

https://www.strava.com/activities/8763603340

[Fishy]

Bike in the shop for its annual MOT

New chain ..chain cassette and few other adjustments.. back on the road👍

[Slim]

Mostly a pleasant day today, but just as I was thinking of defying the weather forecast to ride a bicycle, a brutal shower passed over.

But it was back to business as usual ten minutes later. Half an hour later I decided to risk it. I assumed I probably would get rained on, but I hoped it would be short-lived.

Very mild, mostly sunny. But very windy. I did a Twycross Bypasser. The headwind proved a struggle over the first half of the ride, but I enjoyed the tailwind when I looped back north and east.

I didn't get rained on.

Back on 30.10 miles, which brings the March total to a paltry 166 miles. The weather for the rest of the month looks poor but maybe I can get it up to 240 or so. Damage limitation really, but there's plenty of time to make up the distance later in the year.

https://www.strava.com/activities/8770623422

[Nickslikk2112]

Earlier this year, I cashed in a small pension. Now, what does one do when has a bit of spare cash? One gets an n+1 bicycle, obvs!

Now, it's long been on my wishlist to get a Titanium bicycle, they're supposed to be the n+1 killer and I had seen one I very much liked, a road bike with a bit of potential for off road riding, so what do I do? I get a full on carbon-framed Gravel bike instead. I've fallen for the gravel hype and this one's colour scheme caught my eye - am I a woman? - it's a Ridley Kanzo C adventure bike, capable of being set up for off road bikepacking trips - not that I'm going to go out on ultra-rides and sleep under hedges.

So, I took her out for a spin today. First observation, big knobbly tyres aren't half noisy, it sounds like an Underground train starting off. Second observation, big knobbly tyres are about 10% slower than skinny slick ones. But skinny slicks are no good for going off road. I just took in a few bridle paths today and I'm not so sure that big knobbly ones are that good! Think riding through mud and over big rocks is going to take a bit of getting used to

Went down one off road bit - which some cars use - and it was full of water filled bomb craters, or so it seemed, that I had to scoot myself round. Got a huge bramble caught in the chain rings too, that's scratched my nice new paintwork Still, that's got me out for my longest ride of the year so far, a paltry 34 miles, but new ways are now open up to me, onwards and upward!

https://www.strava.com/activities/8776160859

[Slim]

A very similar day to yesterday - mostly sunny, too windy, occasional fierce showers. But with the likelihood that the precipitation had dried up by mid-afternoon, I set off at 1500 on the Lower Westbound route. Since I did 30 miles yesterday I only wanted to do 30 or so today. I got as far as Croxall then turned back to come home the same way.

Here's an odd thing. The last mile or so of the ride up to and including Croxall didn't seem familiar at all .. I'd started to think I must have missed a turn. But I hadn't, I was definitely on the same route I've done at least six or seven times.



Anyway .. back on 32.35 miles, and that's 198 this month.

I listened to Scotland vs Cyprus, then Gilles Peterson on 6 Music, then Steely Dan's Aja. Then, just because it was next in the alphabetic sequence, my music player app kicked off Chick Corea's Akoustic Band album unprompted. I hadn't heard it for years. My mum bought it for me as a Christmas present in 1993.

Really beautiful out there, perfect weather for that particular route with its lovely views. What had started as an initiative just to add a bit of distance to the monthly total turned out to be one of my favourite rides of the year so far.

Back ten minutes after sunset so I was cutting it fine; I didn't have a front light of any description with me.

https://www.strava.com/activities/8776554909

[dom]

60km spin on Saturday, longest since Nov 21!  22 really was a start stop and never really got going. Hopefully 23 can be a bit better!

[Fishy]

First run out since Mar 7th according to Strava... hoped to do at least 20 miles but managed home in just over 30... usual up n over Carrick Hills then various single track country roads bringing me back into Ayr dropping onto the seafront then home... some nice blue sky with some sunshine but still a very cool breeze... a very sore left nipple on returning ...
Couple of crazy drivers.. namely a Porsche overtaking me on the brow of a hill with a mini coming the other way and some dense cow in an Audi who raced to turn left in front of me forcing me to brake

[Slim]

A dry day was forecast for today, and we haven't had many of those this month.

One of those rare days when the wind was so light that I wouldn't get a substantial headwind whichever way I went. My first idea was to go down to Welford on the southbound route, but I checked the weather forecast and it was more likely to rain south of here. So I decided to head east. I left work indecently early to do a fondo to Eastwell and back.

I don't normally like to take a bike that's just had a new part fitted for more than a short run, but I was curious to see how the Roubaix rode with its new seat post. I took the appropriate Allen keys with me and crossed my fingers. It was fine. Actually I didn't even need to adjust anything, I seem to have got the setup pretty much spot on. Definitely seems to have improved the ride, as well.

A little bit cooler than I'd have liked, otherwise it was lovely out there - sunny most of the way there and back. I took Narrow Lane to come back via Rempstone and Wymeswold on the way back.



Listened to LBC and 5 Live mostly, but I also listened to Out Of Our Heads - the third Rolling Stones album. Mostly R&B covers again. No original tunes. Certainly no recognisable Stones classics. They certainly took a while to find their voice (although to be fair I think they'd already recorded Satisfaction by this time, but that was released only as a single).

Back well before sunset, which this evening took place at a very agreeable 7:31pm, on 63.02 miles. That was the second fondo this month and I've done 261 miles now in March, so it hasn't been a disaster. Just a disappointment.

https://www.strava.com/activities/8787575740

[Nickslikk2112]

Being as I didn't get out yesterday - Saturday took it out of me and there was Gent-Wevelgem to watch - I made sure to get out today as it was forecast to be the best day of the week.

Took the new Gravel bike out again today. I'll have to get used to be being nowhere quick as on the road bike and being shit scared when things get the slightest bit gnarly! Went up a lane today which used to be open to traffic when I was a kid, but now it's just potholes with random lumps of tarmac sticking up at funny angles. Type 2 fun for sure.

Got lost later on down a lane which looked easy to follow on Google maps. Not so on the ground, ended up going down someone's "drive". so turned around and made my way to where I should have come out to try and get through the other way, but the bridle path ahead was in use by a full cavalry platoon so another about face.

Returned home by way of the Five Pits Trail, for some reason I thought this was an old railway line and would therefore be well graded. It isn't, it's up and down but the gravel surface is nicely compacted. I like this kind of gravel.

31 miles for the day takes me to 335 for March and for the first time since November the completion of a monthly Strava climbing challenge.

https://www.strava.com/activities/8785557530