Sunday 4 December 2016

Pitsford Classic and a touch of Frost!



Another week another splendid Saturday clubride with my good friends at C&D Cycles CC. Again there was plenty on offer with standard rides and if you wanted it, a Gran Fondo ride. I opted the standard route banter bunch which followed the route we know as the Pitsford Classic.


This is another route which comes through Rothwell so I had time for an extra cup of tea and waited for the group on the market square. It was then onto Harrington, a lovely little village which ticks all the boxes and is home to the Warner Edwards gin distillery.


The ride itself was particularly uneventful which doesn't make for interesting reading. It was fun, challenging in parts and as ever the banter flowed. We ended up back at C&D Cycles for coffee and cake. That's about that really!

My intention today was to go on the KCC Sunday ride but we awoke this morning to a sharp frost. I learned about the dangers of icy roads the hard way a couple of years ago. It was an expensive lesson with broken rear mechs and an aborted sportive. So my rule of thumb is, if the roof of the house, the shed and the car are covered in frost; I don't ride. That may sound soft but I know of people who went out on their bikes today and they had tumbles. 

The upside was that my Labrador Harvey was pleased because he got an extra long walk and didn't have to wait until I got back from a ride for once! I also had time for jobs so I brewed some beer, chopped some wood and gave the bikes a good clean. On that, I have a new favourite cleaning product in Fenwicks foaming chain cleaner. This stuff is superb and is very little effort for very good results. 




The other thing to report is my progress on the rollers. My goodness it's hard! I really like the workout you get on rollers. The need to concentrate on balance makes if way more challenging than a turbo trainer. I've been experimenting with taking one hand off the bars and shifting around the handlebars but I'm nowhere near going hands free yet. I also learned on the first day that 30 minutes of total concentration is not so kind on a gentleman's tender areas! I was completely numb downstairs after my first roller session and since then I've made a conscious effort to move around in the saddle to protect my plums! Anyway the video below shows how a professional does it, I'm a few weeks away from doing this!



That's all for now.
Happy Pedaling

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