I didn't think I'd feel like doing a ride like this considering I haven't been doing much of late. But I couldn't resist on such a lovely day & felt better than I thought I would, great. (GF).
Saturday, 30 October 2010
Sunday, 24 October 2010
Short Solo Sunday Spin:
Taking it easy for a few weeks now so just a short & easy solo ride in great weather:
Sunday, 17 October 2010
Sunny Shropshire:
Stayed with friends over the weekend & had a good ride in fantastic weather on Sunday!
Sunday, 10 October 2010
Sportive: Evans RideIt, Cannock:
Maybe not the best Sportive I've ever done! Went off course towards the end, guessing signs had been tampered with & me not paying enough attention to Garmin. A windy day but dry & the sun made an appearance towards the end too.
Planned as my last Sportive of the year for me & luckily I've been able to get a few miles this the week in preparation. As usual it's an early start, partly due to the fact that I didn't pack the car last night, the weather yesterday wasn’t very nice at all & despite the forecast it felt as if it would be 'rain stopped play'. In addition to this the www for the event didn't fill me with much excitement so I was in two minds as wether I’d go anyway.
I arrived at the start area in good time shortly after 8.00am & as I hadn’t pre-entered I’d printed off and completed an entry form at home so made my way to the signing on tent, paid my entry fee & collected my timing chip all without any hiccup & quickly too.
Prepared & ready to go I set off with a group just before 9.00am & soon realized that there wasn’t anybody in the group that was going to go at the kind of pace I wanted, so prepared myself for a day on my own. It was a grey day with complete low cloud cover & very windy but thankfully it was dry.
It wasn’t too long then before I was alone but got caught by a group of about a dozen soon after Blithfield Reservoir so I tucked into the group to conserve energy. Soon we turned onto the a very small lane, grass along the middle type of small. A couple of miles along this lane we found ourselves at the foot of a 13% climb that was tree lined, damp with mud & fallen bits of twigs etc. This caught us all out & the sudden slowing & gradient lead to lots of wheel spinning as we all ended up coming to a standstill in a heap. I did manage to find a dry spot & got going again & made it to the top without further ado but found that my rear brake lever had taken a knock, well I think it was my hand that took the knock, & slipped round. I took the opportunity for a comfort break & knocked my lever back into position. All the other riders had gone by now tho’ so I was on catch up!
The group was now completely splintered but I worked my way back thro’ the riders, passing one walking his way up the climb at Hoar Cross, it took me about 10km to get back to the front group of four. Once I was there I sat with them to recover for a while but within 10km I was edging away from them so started to focus on my own pace as the gap built. A few more kilometers & I arrived at the first feed station. There must have been a dozen or so riders there but I quickly filled a bottle & grabbed a banana & was straight away whilst they all stood there chatting!
Shortly after the feed stop I made the turn for the long route. No riders in sight in front or behind, banana consumed & I hit possibly the best section, well fastest anyway, a short stint along the A518 with a good tail wind! It didn’t last long tho’ before I was back on lanes & climbing. The next point of interest around the mid point was a ford, in flood with the usual cobbled & slippery base. Of course this was at the foot of another climb & once over the top it was onto a short sharp downhill section whereI’d have preferred to have used my MTB.
The weather had picked up by now tho’ but the roads hadn’t improved! I noticed another rider coming from behind just as I noticed three up ahead. I din’t ease off & soon passed the three in front shortly to be caught from behind. We worked together for a while & this looked promising for a fast finish. However at around 110km & despite following the route on my Garmin I think some signs had been switched & we made a right turn where we should have made a left. Of course we didn’t realize this until we arrived at a Tee junction a few Kms along the road. We weren’t the only ones to make this wrong turn as there was another rider looking at his map at the junction. Not wanting to stop we pushed on albeit, it transpires in the wrong direction & on main roads. After another the sharp ascent of Weston Bank I was behind & decided to double check my Garmin. The route had disappeared, so I reloaded as I rode, realized where I was & was able to find my way back & join the proper route at Tixal.
I felt comfortable again now as I was familiar with the route to the finish, this did of course involve mostly dragging upwards but I still managed to pass another half a dozen riders along the way who’d probably been on the shorter routes. A big push towards the last right turn onto the tarmac forest track to the finish & over the timing mat, job done, albeit about 8km short of the full distance.
I did stop & for a cuppa, snack & a chat before setting off for home. Whilst I was there one of the other riders that went off course came in a few minutes behind me, he’d been all the way into Stafford & rejoined at Milford.
All in all the event wasn’t as poorly organized as I was anticipating & for the best part the signage was good, & I was happy with my performance. I was working towards a 5hrs 15m finish & if I look closely at the time I was awarded & adjust it accordingly I think it would have been close to the 5hrs 15m.
Saturday, 9 October 2010
Saturday Super Spin:
Hoping to do the Evans Ride It Sportive from Cannock tomorrow:
Just a quick blast today, windy! 595:
Friday, 8 October 2010
Another Afternoon Spinning into the Sunset:
Another gorgeous day, Another early finish, Another great ride!
Tuesday, 5 October 2010
Another Afternoon Amble:
Another early finish from work & another fine afternoon, a little windy but a good solid ride...
Monday, 4 October 2010
Spinning into the Sunset:
After a wet Sunday today was lovely so I couldn't resist the opportunity of a quick ride as the sun went down.
Saturday, 2 October 2010
Audax: Over the Trent to Dance & Pray.
Or maybe this ride should be called Snake bite & looseness!
I managed to get a late entry into this ride, my first Audax on the new winter bike, so I was looking forward to the opportunity to give it a good shakedown!
I arrived nice & early for the start at Darley Abbey, a nice setting on the edge of Derby, having driven there in sunshine with a little mist. It was looking like a promising day.
Of we set at 8.30 prompt & by by 8.35 I managed to get a Snake Bite puncture, Curses! I fitted a new tube as quick as I could & popped back to the car to fully inflate the tyre with my track pump.
Restart 8.55 & of course all the other riders had long gone so it I was playing catch up. I managed to catch the first 3 hares after about 23km & the next 4 who had stopped to write down the first information point answer. By the time I reached the first checkpoint at Moira Furnace I'd passed another half a dozen riders, all was going well except for a loose Space Bar, (route sheet holder). As this checkpoint was so close to home I decided to pop into home & get it sorted, so another little detour got the job done with a comfort break & a bun to boot.
Back on course & it's roads roads that I know, so not too much checking of the route sheet required for a while, & of course I'm passing again some riders that I've already passed once. 'Hare & Tortoise'.
Lullington-Edingale-Croxhall-Walton on Trent-Barton under Needwood-Dunstall, fine, then some big lumps over to Abbots Bromley before rolling into the next checkpoint at the Strawberry Fields Garden Centre at Bramshall, a quick turn around here with a comfort break & I'm away again hoping that the breeze that has been on my face all morning will now be behind me & help on the run in back to the finish.
From Bramshall it's onto smaller lanes over to Lower Tean & the 17% climb that followed where at the bottom of the descent from this climb I bumped into another couple of riders, one of whom's front wheel rim had worn thro' & split. I stopped briefly but didn't have the spanner he was looking for, lucky this happened at the foot of the descent & not on it! Onwards & thro' Croxden & Rocester, still no tail wind, & some more lumpy bits thro' Cubley on the way back to the A52 for a quick right/left & into the outside of Derby. The run in from here is very residential with lots of turn instructions & a short section on a cycle route & the tail wind just didn't happen.
Finally I've finished, an hour or so later than I would have planned & with a really tired & aching back. A little disappointed with todays performance & feeling very tired I won't forget however that yesterdays weather was non stop rain all day & the same is forecast for tomorrow!
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