Posts tagged with “cycling” and “bicycle”
Hitting the wall?
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Recently I've found myself first approaching a fifteen or sixteen percent climb I knew was a mild challenge to see how it felt on my Dawes, then when that went well I came across a sixteen or eighteen percent, and managed that which felt really good - but on my last ride I found one like the picture, a twenty percent (one in five for the old school) drop, and have to admit I baulked at first
then again you have to realise the scene - it was pre-dawn darkness, I was on a new route with just one low lumens continuous light and a stronger strobe to see my way by, and the one in five was clearly a descent.... I think I probably made the right decision.
I shall head back on a sunny day after taking a look at the map and working out how I place myself at the BOTTOM of that climb, which is how I should like to approach it. I actually do not expect to make the climb if it is of any significant length - but boy will I feel satisfied if I do!
I recently came across [this link](http://www.anothercyclingforum.com/index.php?topic=50798 "a witty prose decription of "hills"") after a series of clicks away from the audax site - and had to smile at [the image of the 25 percent climb with the grim reaper](http://www.notanothercyclingforum.net/pics/grimhill.jpg "picture as text describes it") in the midst of the road!
Today, some two weeks after I wrote this entry, I was out for a fifty or so mile run in the morning and with the conditions just the damp side of dry and some leaves and iron work on the climbs I encountered I had the "interesting" experience of my back wheel spinning for lack of grip intermittently on some of the steepest climbs. At no point did I lose control, but it was definitely NOT the right time to take on that one in five climb!
06:39 PM
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Tags: cycling, bicycle, climb, hills
Last night I took advantage of the last night of the year when I could take my road bike to [[Herne Hill Velodrome]] for a spell on the track. I arrived early in the foolish hope that I'd be able to get more time on the track, only to find a school session with track bikes was beginning, so since road and track bikes simply do not mix I had to wait my turn.
When I did take to the track it took a while to find my stride, I was immediately disappointed to find I could not really "pull the big one" in top gear, settling for one or two down. I had to pull over after a few minutes to divvy up my fiver (goes towards upkeep and insurance, so can't really grumble), sign the sheet with contact details, don the numbered elastic band (so they know who I am if unconscious!) and surrender my water bottle (made sense, don't want the distraction on a track).
Then back to the track, this time with a few more riders. It turns out Herne Hill is perfect for taking a turn with a road bike, the circuit is wider than the modern Velodrome and the banking a good ten degrees less steep, this gleaned from Wikipedia. I was determined to try an put in a decent average and tried to pace myself whilst making the odd burst and experimenting with an odd half lap here and there slipstreaming form the odd rider. At the end of the session I had put in 54 odd minute ride time and averaged 20.97 mph, which feels OK. I will certainly be extremely proud if I ever turn in stats like that on the open road!
It was quite something to discover the amount of effort slipstreaming cuts out of the ride, especially as it was a very windy day and one side of the circuit much harder work than the other. But I always chose to drop out of any group or rider I was following, wanting the personal challenge and not knowing any of the others. There was one pair of gents quite my senior whom I never could catch despite going many turns of the track - now I can see that since they were pairing they'd have an easier time keeping up a good speed! So to catch them would actually have been a big ask, even if I were fitter than I am.
The odd full on carbon bike whizzed past me from time to time, and not sure I'd ever get on with the peculiar acoustics of those in operation, sounds too much like an airfix kit on wheels for my liking. I struggled to cope with seeing the young teenager in the track class also, because he had a dreamy Pinarello road bike, full Cinelli "designer" riding gear, and clearly a far younger fitter body than I'll ever have again - felt like he had the world handed to him on a plate, and here I am aged 52 with my first decent road bike.... hard not to acknowledge some degree of envy.
My most significant consolation is, of course, our magnificent tandem and the best stoker in the world home I shall be marrying next year, God willing!
05:02 AM
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Tags: cycling, bicycle, Dawes Giro 500, Velodrome
will you look at the back tyre on that!
02:54 AM
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Tags: Dawes Giro 500, cycling, bicycle
A salutary tale
I have developed [a coping strategy](http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/819878-A-coping-strategy-that-seems-to-help-me "forum post that explains this strategy") for my cycling... well for the times when I feel danger has been inflicted upon me, for want of a better expression. My normal experiences of this are depressingly abusive towards myself - for example recently I was cut up by a driver, quite badly as she turned left despite my loud proclamation, "Please do not cut me up!" an don drawing level with her at the traffic lights she discarded a fag butt in my general direction and told me to "F**K Off" before I could even ask if she knew she had cut me up (obviously it was intentional). I was left feeling shitty despite my best efforts to drop her aura of shittiness all over me..... But then a couple of days ago things turned out with a most expected outcome... I was travelling up the first hill on my commute and a car seemed to whizz by about 18 inches off my elbow, which is enough to get my ire up... I managed to get a wriggle on and catch him in a queue of traffic on the other side of the hill... at first the driver appeared to be your usual, and showed no signs of hearing my complaint of less than three feet clearance on overtaking. Things seemed promising when he volunteered to pull over to discuss. We continued to dispute reasonably and I thanked him for taking the time to pull over. Not long after that he said "You don't know who I am do you?" and proceeded to reveal he was manager of [[Herne Hill Velodrome]]! He explained an oncoming car had been signalling left and then come straight on, combined with my perhaps not "keeping my line" and he had thought I was downshifting with my bike being a tourer etc. My mind was already thrown into turmoil and I sort of almost offered a salute. He asked if I had taken part in the recent "night ride" and I said not this year, but did it last year on our tandem. Before long we were comparing tandem tales, it turned out he once managed a 30 miles in a sub hour time and held a record on a day when that particular record was broken six times! Sadly his wife sold the tandem after apparently throwing up behind him, which I can imagine would be a pretty off-putting experience all round. But the tale is salutary in more ways than my involuntary salute I think... Given we one day hope to plan a tandem club ride involving a Velodrome stop for the café I am sure this could actually be the first time a positive new contact has been made in such apparently adverse circumstances. 08:49 AM | 0 Comments | Tags: bicycle, cycling, tandem, Nightride, velodrome, Herne Hill VelodromeBamboo Bike ahoy!
Tomorrow - eleven AM - I am booked in for a ride on the FIRST BAMBOO BIKE in London! More to follow soon , but I am extremely and unreasonably excited.... [See here for pics etc!](http://cooler.mpora.com/news/events/bamboo-bikes-coming-london.html "Link to another blog post on te subject with picture!") WOW! More details to come soon - but it was something else - a real blast! If I had unlimited money and enough space in my house/life for another bike this could very well be one I would choose! 12:30 AM | 0 Comments | Tags: cycling, bicycleBeaks, tails, and tubes
It has been a very Spring-like time of late.... rejuvenation of bicycles under varying conditions and the thrill of a third (drum brake on Derek). Also out diary has been very full, happily with some entertaining into the mix. Pictures are to follow above this post which will shed some light on the subject line! And shed some light is an apt turn of phrase, because the tails referred to are those of "Voyager" where I have been struggling to find a satisfactory way to attach a "Cateye" rear light whose fitting needs to be plundered for Derek. I thought I had hit upon it when I superglued to a pound shop fitting and improvised with Bungees, but first after a week or so the glue gave out and then I found the bolt had compromised the fitting also. I had time over the weekend to play with some other options and am hopeful of an ingenious arrangement with the (re-glued with another adhesive) fitting sandwiched and ganging adjacent to the dérailleur. Of course the light is going to get dead mucky and have a hard life, but I rather like the idea of a low hanging light into the mix with my seat post and rear helmet - we'll see how long this one lasts (and if I hear it fall should it become detached!). As for the beaks, well we had guests over the weekend and had deployed our cheese platter (pictured). This was an impulsive gift from my sister, and we were a little surprised when our guest said "OH! You've got a Sarah Rose!" Or something (I may have the name wrong). It turns out these birds atop or incorporated into her designs are a trade mark and that our cheese platter is somehow a celebrity in the chine world! And we never knew we has posh pottery at all! Last and gloomiest are the tubes - no pictures but suffice to say I somehow contrived to have two punctures on Friday, to blow out a valve on Saturday, and on Sunday afternoon in the process of "repairing" managed to explode one tube, fit another with a slow which had to be removed, attempt fitting a 26" MTB tube to a 700 35mm tyre (don't bother trying, it is futile!) and finally somehow patch over the two patches with a slow to achieve one good tube, which I shall have to ride direct to the bike shop to get a spare. At least that is (fingers crossed) my entire puncture allowance for the next thousand miles in one weekend. I am aspiring to acquire the new limited edition "London" tyres from Schwalbe which might just make that mileage achievable puncture free, but I have yet to see them in a bike shop... maybe tomorrow? 06:18 AM | 0 Comments | Tags: cycling, bicycle, Voyager
Voyager can has tail light!
05:38 AM
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Tags: bicycle, cycling, Voyager
Porno torture with techno overtures
OMG baby,,,, I seem to have been able to spend so much more on a digital device that I shall be waiting many moons and more to ever see such a device from Comm-Tech and then there is the official secrets act and then there is the fact that I can no longer watch pornography and then there is (far too late of course) my relationship with someone else apart from family damn famile I want to be asleep I want to not care I want you to not care I need to ride my bicycle I am riding my bicycle I shall be in France before anyone else gets this bye bye Annie PS now edited to be legible, but some of the spelling correction suggestions for my mangling of the English for "Velo" were hilarious, among them "bacillary" and "celibacy"! PPS (I am extremely ashamed of writing the last two lines and have left them in in the spirit of honety, hoping they are not hurtful, since they were so far from truthful....) 02:48 AM | 0 Comments | Tags: stupid, bedtime, private, birthday, partnership, family, Annie, bicycle, cycling
Just read the shiny specs next to the picture here and you get some idea why it may be a dark and murky pre-dawn morning, but I have no time to write here, I need to go ride again!
05:50 AM
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Tags: cycling, bicycle, Voyager, Ridgeback
MY new bike! His name is "Voyager", one week old - no time to write, got to ride now!!
07:48 AM
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Tags: Voyager, cycling, bicycle
Derek en vacance en France!
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Not only that but pictured at the crossroads of a "[voie verte](http://www.wikimanche.fr/V%C3%A9loroutes "nearest I could find to describing them....")" with identifying signing and the typical architecture replete with mandatory geraniums. What is it that makes France quite so much enjoy geraniums and marigolds? It's as though this were the compulsory "national flower", but then again perhaps they might see the hollyhock in a similar light for us in our country villages I suppose.
My oh my what a time we had! Despite her injuries and a tooth that was troublesome the mighty Aero managed to power on for almost 150 miles of French roads, tracks, and even the odd tidal path and hillside! What really put the icing on the cake though was that I had also taken a solo ride (my Raleigh Aero, AKA Rory) and this meant I could be up at dawn and making reconnaissance rides in the surrounding areas before we were out there in the full sun with places to go and food to meet!
It was some time before I discovered what I felt turned out to be the best ride though, although I had been into [Carteret](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barneville-Carteret "yes, I have seen the view pictured on Wikipedia too!") early in the holiday and discovered the "Ruse de Cap" which was an extremely good training climb to the lighthouse I had not been back. On returning I headed across the busy D900 (I think) which traversed the backs of the cliff-tops, my destination being Paix. I was not disappointed in finding some decent climbs, but the road was horribly busy and slightly brutal (though discovering the "Maison des Biscuits" was a lighter moment!). But I did notice many side roads seemed to join up and had signing that indicated some sites of tourist interest, so made a decent to Rozelle. The descent was t blast! Made slightly dangerous by the garbage truck that insisted on overtaking me, only to be able to keep to about my own speed for the rest of the way.... Not complaining though, it was his brake lights that told me when the decent had to end (rather that than a challenging T junction!).
The next day I was back to explore the "tour des caps" road which had the brown tourist signs. Turns out this is a fabulous winding roadway through all the coastal towns, ascending and descending for eack and taking in a few beachsides along the way, along with towns that I could not help smiling at the names of, notably "Certainville" and "Ferme de Paul".
I never did get to show Aero the hair raising climbs or descents to be found there, but that did not stop us setting a new speed record on our way to the biggest climb Derek made. This was up to the restored and fully working windmill in the heights of the [[Cotentine]] region. We bought the flour to prove it and there was nothing to compare with the arrival from the rear of the car park to round the corner and be confronted with a fully working windmill in full sail on a lovely sunny cloudless and windless day! Yes, you heard right, it was windless and they were using an electric motor to power the sails and demonstrate the windmill for the tourists!
With nary a drop of rain, fabulous food accompanied by decent wine at a bargain price, and roads that were to die for in terms of their quality and scenery and most of all the lack of car traffic (and what there was extremely respectful, unlike England) I would unhesitatingly recommend this part of Normandy for a cycling holiday.
04:54 PM
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Tags: tandem, bicycle, cycling, France, holiday
A little help from our friends?
By an odd coincidence the title of the last book group read was "The Help". Although I have barely begun the book I am firmly committed to finishing it eventually because it was unanimously approved by the reading group members and I have a hunch it would do me good to get out of a slight rut I have been in with reading.
But that is hopefully the only rut I have been stuck in, because cycling seems to go from strength to strength. This weekend sees us travel with our car bearing the tandem for the first time to Sussex where there is a Tandem Club Rally. No doubt there will be a blog post or two after the event to elaborate and describe anything remarkable after we have been! We are spoiling ourselves a little at the Burpham Manor Hotel though, so it will not all be tandem rides and downland!
Last but not least I do have to say that on the subject of "friends" not all is well with the world when it comes to my membership of "the society".... Although having said that it is lovely to see people I know personally sponsor me to complete my ride (see above) and I am certain thius if nothing else will draw me back to my local meeting after the event is complete, when I shall want to thank them. And since it really does behove me to be bigger than the problems I have had with membership, hopefully that will follow too!
04:22 AM | 0 Comments | Tags: Quaker, library, reading group, bicycle, cycling, tandemHurrah! We made it!
Not so long ago I posted a link post contemplating an organised cycle run with the tandem club (South East London Region).
I thought I should post an update to say we managed the ride, and to quote from the email I sent the organiser:
just to let you know that we made it back and Ann and Tim arrived at
London Bridge along with us just around four to catch a train.
Our new front chain managed to detach itself from the idler as we began
our crossing of London Bridge and the chain was derailed as we descended
to the traffic lights. It almost felt as if the bike had decided we
ought to catch the train (which we had already decided to do!).
Tim very kindly laced the chain on again before I could get my rubber
gloves out - and advised us to take the initiative on catching a train
before they departed for theirs.
Many of the riders were at pains to tell us there were not usually so
many stops, but we were just busy taking it all in and I was impressed
by your organisation of the lunch stop and the general level of planning
and organisation. Everyone was most friendly and helpful; it was an
enjoyable ride for us despite the slightly chilly conditions.
As a new member of the tandem club I wanted you to have the positive
feedback since I know it is valuable best written now, before the week
begins and other things take over.
Hope to see you again on another ride with London South East or another
group soon (we had not realised the Sussex and Surrey groups overlapped)
So in addition to my literary blog posts there could be an increasing number of reviews of various rides, and if I do make posts on those I shall try and give informative tips and links to help learn from the journey as we made it.
In this instance the information I would impart is NOT to rely on the Greenwich Foot tunnel for a planned journey/. Not only were the stairs announced as out of order, but the lift failed on the day, which meant the main "pelleton" had to retrace their steps for Charlton House whilst we made a breakaway party with another couple on a recumbent tandem for London Bridge at dusk!
It was all very exciting for me and the last bit gave me a welcome chance to get a little pace and warm us up after a chilly day!
01:22 AM | 0 Comments | Tags: tandem, cycling, bicycle, olympics, Tandem Club UK, GreenwichSunday COULD be our FIRST Tandem Club ride
I do not have time to write much about it, but on Sunday there is a 20 mile run coming up with the tandem club (see link) which MAY be on!
I cannot begin to say how excited I am
and to commemorate it I am hopeful that we will make the investment in the much needed headsets so that I can describe everything as we go, though I think there will be plenty else if we cannot manage to get that sorted in time.
My biggest fear is that my best beloved Stoker is not feeling great and that we may not be able to find a dog sitter. I think I can help resolve the latter if neighbours are unavailable, and I think I can persuade her the twenty miles is not too too challenging, but the weather and her health are somewhat in the lap of the Gods...
I'm struggling to contain my excitement right now though, because we were looking into Rohloff hubs and all sorts of expensive and technical tandem geek things so the timing of this WOULD be perfect. Then again, I should tell myself, there will always be another one. I think patience would be a commendable thing to have in abundance as a tandem rider.
06:24 AM | 0 Comments | Tags: Annie, bicycle, cyclingCategories of Engagement
It is not too often the personal intrudes on this blog (I hope!) But today I would like to indulge myself a little. Anyone who has been here before will perhaps notice that there are a couple of new categories creeping in here.
One is cycling - and the tandem features (Now enhanced with lights and super bell and ready to roll!).
The other is marriage - and this is because I am now engaged to be wed, I have plighted my troth! It will be a long engagement, but if any matters come up which I think I can talk about here (or even if I read anything which seems connected) then I may post to this category.
On which subject my fiancee thinks this blog would reach a much wider audience and I can see what she means (though am uncertain I really want the world and it's brother to be reading this - my hosting could not cope for a start!). BUT I have decided to see if I can register the domain "eclectic.me" as a possible alternative.
UNLESS anyone has any better ideas for the name of this blog? AND YES; I do realise the heading banner and design would be due for a complete overhaul as a result, then again I am quite keen to improve the site's accessibility and so should not mind this.
A post should be forthcomng to review the book "Chicago" soon and not sure what will follow from that, perhaps a thrilling account of the first tandem tour involving panniers and distance!
05:54 AM | 0 Comments | Tags: Annie, Quaker, singing, love, kindness, children, rice, accessibility, family, bicycle, cycling, partnership, choral, tandem
