On Monday we took the Cyclones to Milton Keynes Bowl for some road riding practise. A good session saw this kids make progression. We got to ride round too as chaperones were required on the circuit.
On Tuesday at Corby Capers, Phil set up another good course,with a different challenging hill. David still felt rough so took some more photos this week. The pictures tell the tale of a really good session where my heart rate monitor recorded a max heart rate of 219! I'm hoping that was a data blip rather than my actual heart rate. I did genuinely push up to 160 every time we did that hill. Phil stated at one point it was his mission to get us more fit! I was quite glad when we spent the last 15 minutes practising technique and it turns out I prefer to carry up hills than push, just need to nail that Sven Nys technique!
spooky hill
Push Rich!
Oooh I like to carry
Sam prefers to push
We didn't have hurdles this week so I couldn't show my rapidly improving bunny hop skills. Having only been able to do a roady hop before, I'm starting to get the timing right, just need to work on my height now! Here's some top tips on that too!
In between Tuesday night and my next ride I had a great week. We are dog sitting so Bruce has his cousins for company.
I managed to think I'd lost Bruce's lead and returned to East Carlton Park to find it with no luck. Later that day I was cleaning the car prior to it's service and found the lead down the back of the boot cover! The car was a disgrace and I couldn't take it in looking like that. On Wednesday I took the car for it's service and we had to have it rebooked in for Friday because they needed it all day and I hadn't realised! When it was serviced on Friday, they gave the car a full valet as part of the deal...so glad I spent two hours on it then!
On Thursday the weather was simply stunning so Sam and I had our first fishing trip of the year.
Here's Sam celebrating the one that didn't get away! Towards the end of the session he wasn't paying attention and a nice carp ran off with his rod! Check it out in the middle of the lake! Thankfully the good people of Desborough and Rothwell Angling Club took the boat out the next day and got it back for us!
That wasn't the end of the disasters. The Queen of Cakes and my daughter Niamh had spent the week in New York. I always like them to come back to a clean house so I set about my domestic duties. I gave the oven a once over and then set it for pyrolysis, a wonderful feature where the oven cleans itself with extreme heat. Once completed the oven became stuck in that mode and I couldn't reset it, not even cutting the power worked! However I did manage to fix it yesterday by just generally messing about with everything including pinging the door lock! Surely nothing else could go wrong!
Branston and Fudge guarding the dodgy oven
On Saturday I had another tight schedule, this time I had to be back for 11.30 so I could go and collect that lost rod. Thankfully another C&D Cycles CC shop ride was sympathetic to my needs and I met the group in Rushton at 09.00. The original plan was back though Rushton so happy days! We'd been promised a glorious spring day but early doors there was thick fog making clothing selection tricky. Even trickier was the hilly route including the infamous Neville Holt hill meaning no matter how cold we started, everyone would be warm by the top!
As we climbed the hill about 5 red kites were circling above me. I attempted to get a picture but of course it was no use at all! Neville Holt Hall itself is fascinating with it's impressive sculptures and now it has it's own opera theatre. Not my cup of tea but worth a look here Neville Holt Opera
I'm sorry about this picture. Yes it's a picture of my bottom! I took it myself so perhaps I've invented a new form of selfie, the 'arsey!' The reason I took it is to show the split in my shorts. I've had it it with this brand, Altura, I had several pairs of gloves returned once due to continued splits on the fingers and these shorts have literally been splitting at the seams all over. I know I'm a bit of a tubby but I expect road cycling kit to be tight fitting and have the durability to stretch! Andy at C&D will probably want to send these back but I'm writing them off and sticking to other brands for ever more i.e. my C&D bib tights were excellent, anything I have had from Endura has also been top quality. Well that's like another disaster for the week, surely nothing else right...wrong!
As ever it was a splendid ride with my clubmates. The usual banter including a horse lady stating that we spook them because we're fast and quiet but as soon as horses realise it's a human on a bike they settle down. Andy P get's quote of the day with: "we're neither fast or quiet!" We also extended the route at the end due to us all enjoying ourselves so much. It was massive fun racing Andy Brown down the hill towards Harrington, as ever I was no match for him going up the other side!
Sam and I were heading to the Saints on Saturday afternoon. We were just about to leave when I wondered where the kids season ticket was...oh...of course Niamh used it last week and the season ticket had enjoyed a lovely trip to New York and was currently in a car on the way back from the airport...luckily they can print you a replacement for just £5 so the day was saved...surely that's everything now right? Nope! However the match was a superb and the Saints recorded a 7th straight home win! No other rugby matches took place on Saturday...not even in Wales or anything.
Apparently I'm even holding this pasty wrong
On a super bright Sunday morning I was packed and ready in time and drove out to our meeting point in Grafton Underwood. I sniggered to myself as I parked about an inch from Andy Pendred's van, he'd be frustrated by that little joke later and set about getting ready! Hmmmm this shoe is a bit tight...oh FFS! I had got one of my shoes and one of Sam's. We have the same Shimano CX shoes but his are size 9, I'm an 11! So I drove on to meet everyone at the crossroads, told my tale of woe and then headed back home in a sulk!
Two left feet...
The only part of the route that I knew was that they were going to ride up Grafton Chase. Ridiculous for the best bit of downhill in Northants but hey ho, I figured out I could ride down it and meet them probably between 11 and 12.
So I set out on my solo route with the aim of getting to the chase in mind. On the way I saw the Llamas at Rushton, who were in a photogenic mood. I then did a bit of exploring and found my way onto Prologis Park by going under the railway bridge.
At Prologis I checked out some of the terrain as we will be running both a KCC FNSS MTB race and another CX race this year. Busy times ahead planning all that lot! I stopped for a picture at the Red Kite sculpture because well you know...you can't get a picture of the massive birds any other way!
I then headed through Weekly Woods, where I used a log for some more bunny hop practise (don't imagine massive,) before riding into amazing historic Geddington. The cross gets a lot of attention but you should check out the history of the church too! http://geddingtonchurch.org.uk/our-church/history/
cross
lovely old tree
The chase was lovely and dry and really good riding except for a slight bit of clarty stuff at the bottom. I rode through, stopped at a bench at Brigstock, watched yet more camera shy Red Kites and waited. No sign of the others so I decided to do a hill repeat on the chase. It was a good hard ride back up and then an even better fast ride down. I then waited again but at 12.00, there was no sign of them so I headed off for another uphill of the chase. I later learned they came through after 12, due to punctures...even other people's misfortune was messing up my week. Anyway everyone...TUBELESS! Except of course, you'll know from this blog that even that fails at times.
I headed back through Weekly, onto Prologis and down to Rushton again. I was missing my mates but I also had a really good ride in glorious weather, so there's nothing to be down about! Quite the opposite, all that Spring air had put me in a very good mood.
I made one last attempt to snap a Red Kite at Rushton...that's the best shot...hmmmm...not good! Here's one someone else took, I'm guessing they weren't on a bike using a smartphone.
Well that's it. I'm hoping for a drama free week but...well it's me isn't it!
Happy Pedalling
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