Thanks 2014, you were awesome...2015 you have a lot to live up to!

This is the current view from my Lounge window. All that ice only means one thing. No riding for me today and that means 2014 is done. I started this blog to capture my year on the bike. Along the way I've racked up 4228 miles in 298 hours of cycling. I've road biked, off road biked, cycled in Australia, ridden with the club, other friends and my best cycling friend, my youngest son, Sam. Here's some highlights in pictures:

Club rides

Cake

Sam did a project for his hobby badge

Some of the weather was amazing!

Super Sam ready to ride

Fiñeshade woods

Great hot choc at Fineshade

Possibly not the best day to be in Geddington Chase

More hot choc

Pitsford reservoir looking stunning

More club rides

The weather wasn't always great

Looks lovely...moments later I came off on ice!

One of many visits to Oundle

The club celebrates our first birthday

Is it a good idea to cycle through a ford?

Erm...no!

I bought some great stuff, my one23 light is superb

Nige drove up from Plymouth to join a club ride

Like I said the weather wasn't always great

We said goodbye to a old family friend

Sam got a new steed

Northants has bags of history

That's right you be careful!

My favourite solo ride was a loop of the Naesby battlefield 

Fairfax's view

We met a bike dog!

Clive is an attention seeking bike 

He got very dirty

Then very clean again!

Top blokes

Photo bombing buffoons

And again

Squires and Spires Sportive

Oh look it's Nice and Pete...their friend crashed so they didn't complete the ride

Clean again!

Nathan took on the Fred Whitton hill fest

So we made him a cake

Phil was once again the 'beast' of us all

Ooh how did that get there? Saints still champions!!!

Not everything went well

I sold my Orange

The sealed knot photo bombed me in Naesby

Told you...bags of history

More cleaning

Silly billies

I'd like less punctures in 2015

Steve found this...I nearly laughed out a lung!

Beetroot smoothie to prevent cramp...gullible cyclist!

More cake!

Those Fondo challenges were popular!

Cycling in Australia

Photo bombed by the Straddie sign

Now that's a cycle path

So's that

Lookout point Straddie

Being watched by skippy

Fellow fisherman

300kms of track...I'm going back to do it all

Through the mangroves

Stunning

You should stay awesome!

Tony Talbot set an awesome challenge 150 miles in four laps 

We helped out a bit

Lovely tea stop

Tony and Nat complete the challenge

Heroes

Puncture!

Group shot at Clipston

Steve led from the front in 2014

We couldn't doit without Andy, thanks for keeping us rolling in 2014

I do like a good phone box

Not quite up to Australian standard

Pointless! Sort it out in 2015 KBC

Good to ride with mates

At least five pics Andy...you happy?

Probably the most improved rider of 2014

I wonder what the joke was? We had many!

Great pic Neil

Even cuz Iain got a road bike

Cycling clothes are an acquired taste

I got a new bike

My Garmin Virb is also useful

On Remembrance Sunday we toured WWII airfields in Northants

I think it was my favourite ride of 2014

Cleaned again!

Movember looks good on Frank

Always funny

New back light!

Sam voted fineshade number 1 for cycling and hot choc

Back from a muddy ride

As the weather closed in it was turbo time much to Ben's bemusement

Christmas Eve ride

As it turns out 27.12.14 was my last ride of the year

So that's it 2014. What a year, what an absolutely stunning year. There are many people to thank but one I need to thank the most. Mrs Lee Lindsley; thanks for putting up with me, thanks for supporting my cycling, massive thanks for organising Australia and most of all thanks for your magnificent cakes.

Happy pedaling in 2015

Bad things come in threes...or do they? #festive500

So I had a plan and that plan was a 40 miler this afternoon to add to the Festive 500 tally and start burning off the Christmas lard fest. The execution of the plan started poorly, got worse, got reevaluated, changed, shortened and then ended up longer that the original plan. Finally it ended in a disaster that turned out to be not an issue at all!

Before I left the house I found my gloves in the washing machine. Not a great start but I revisited the tactics of my youth and employed a trusty hairdryer to solve the problem.

With that sorted I headed out. I noticed there was still some snow under my car and it was very cold but the roads were wet not icy.

 Out of Rothwell I headed to Loddington via Orton. There was a Christmas tree in the church doorway which I thought made a nice pic so I took one. I headed out of Loddington and promptly noticed I'd forgotten my drink. Well there's bad thing number 2!

So I ditched my planned route and headed home via Harrington. As you can see the 7ft snowdrifts were a bit of an issue.

Once home I also banged on some more layers. I'd put on two base layers and my winter jersey along with bib shorts, leg warmers and overshoes. I had my buff up over my ears nose and mouth. So I also put on my medium weight cycling jacket for the first time in a very long time.

Feeling cold and a bit annoyed with myself my revised plan was just to do a few more miles. So I set off on a regular little loop round Rushton, Pipewell and Desborough. Then in Desborough I decided to take a detour to Braybrooke so I could take in Griffin Road Hill. I then headed to Arthingworth and planned to go back to Harrington and home but changed my mind again and instead went to Kelmarsh.

From Kelmarsh I went to Maidwell, crossed the Brampton Valley Way over those glorious hills around Draughton and off to Old. I used the best country lane I know from Old and used Orton Green Lane to get me home. 

As I came into Rothwell I guessed I needed a few more miles for the 40 I originally wanted. Why guess you wonder? Well it won't be a surprise to learn I didn't reset my bike computer until after I noticed the drinks issue! So I thought I'd done 36 and needed four more miles. Up Bunker Hill I went round to Rushton and back home again. Why not eh? Well I was wrong but at least it was in the positive and I got 43. Weirdly it was a slow average with a load of PRs. 

As I came back into Rothwell I had the chance of one last good picture of a low sun over the fields. My Virb had been annoying me because 1 it kept freezing and 2 the bracket despite being very tight was slipping forward. As I pulled it up once again I suddenly had a camera in my hand. See the pic above. One broken bracket! Initially I thought this was an expensive mistake. When I got back I looked at the bracket and wondered why it had so many bits! I took the broken bit off and put the bracket back together. It looks better and probably will rattle less. Alls well that ends well.

The big question now is: will I complete the festive 500? Well, it's still weather dependent but I have a chance. It might take a big last ride but then I need at least an 80 miler for the Fondo. After today anything is possible.

Happy Peddaling 

Spiritual Christmas Eve Dawn and Dusk #festive500 first miles

My day started with a ride to work. A journey that always begins with me tussling with my old foe Bunker Hill. It was a stunning morning on what turned out to be a bright Christmas Eve. My first fly in the ointment was arriving to discover a doctor had volunteered me for a home visit in Rushden! Oh well I got it all sorted and was lucky enough to finish everything by 3. So Time for a few miles before it got dark

I did the Kettering classic Deeble Road and set a personal best, which is nice! From there it was Warkton and then the beautiful Grafton Underwood. In Grafton the ducks were being overlooked by Christmas Yoda and Vader. If you click on the pivture below to make it big you'll get a better idea.

From Grafton I headed to Geddington, the sun setting over the Boughton Estate was just stunning.

Into Geddington, possibly my favourite village. It's got it all. Pubs, thatched cottages, stunning church once graced by royals, a ford and of course that stunning cross built on the site of a Roman Well most likely still holding artifacts left as offering to the gods, You can't top that really can you?

There are no crosses on any of the Elanor Crosses because it's a name lost in the translation. Elanor was a Norman Queen and it was a french phrase marking a crossroads. I was told one of her resting places was in the church behind and Geddington wasn't chosen by accident. It was a firm favourite of the King.

More here: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/eleanor-cross-geddington/

From Geddington I went over the A43 through Newton, then Rushton and Desborough. On my approach to Harrington the sky was amazing and there was a slender crescent moon. You can make that out if you enlarge the picture but to be honest I'm disappointed I didn't get a better shot.

I'm not sure what it is but I've always loved the tree on the hill into Harrington that was used as a Queen of the Mountain in the Women's tour. It framed that moon perfectly but once again that's not so clear in the picture. I was having one of those rides. It was a totally mindful experience, the fresh bite of the winter air, the whirr of my gears, the rolling noise of my tyres on the road. It was bliss. I guess this ride marks the end of four months solid of hard work since we got back from Australia. I really am ready for a break!

It was dark when I got back to Rothwell and that was spectacular in itself. The Town Council has made a real effort with the lights and the avenue leading to the famous old church is particularly good. it was nice to get home.

So on the one hand this marks the start of a break from work, on the other it's the start of some quality family time and finally it's the opportunity to achieve some cycling challenges. Over the next week I'm hoping to get the December Gran Fondo and the Festive 500 chalked off.

Happy Pedaling

a bit of commuting and all that

Well it's been a bit milder and we've settled into the new building so I decided it's time to get back to commuting. Every mile cycled instead of driven benefits the economy to an extent (that extent probably depends who you talk to and what their agenda is but it does definitely make a difference.) Parking is also at a premium so me cycling helps my colleagues and visiting patients. My only gripe being some of them live ten minutes walk away and would never dream of leaving the car at home. OK I know I'm the weird one here!

The last two days I've taken the 29er. It's great fun because I get to blast down the hill in prologis park and do a little jump out of the drainage channel then it all gets a bit disappointing into K town. I bumped into Steve on the way in this morning. Ironically it was exactly where he bumped into a kamikaze pedestrian on a club ride.

On the way home I go for a spin in the dark in Weekly Woods. I love the way the one23 extreme bright lights the place up and it's quite funny spooking the unsuspecting bunnies. The last bit of the journey was into a fierce headwind. Apparently that's a great training technique for improving climbing. I read that somewhere and have the ridiculous fantasy that someone after reading it here will repeat it too. I'm not sure how you test the theory though. Do you do loads of headwind riding then take on a hill to see if you're better? Should I ride up hills in a headwind to make them harder? 

I've also been spending the remainder of my birthday funds. I wanted some suitable trousers for the off road bike. You're not supposed to MTB in lycra so I had a look at the options in C&DCycles. They didn't have anything in but a quick browse through the catalogues and I settled on some endura Humvee zip off trouser shorts. They ordered them there and then. I think they're great. I don't like the padding you get in baggies because it never sits right but combining them with bib shorts feels like the ultimate in comfort, practicality and style.

So yesterday I popped back in the shop because I'd seen something else I really wanted. I've settled on not wanting a saddle bag but ultimately I'm dissatisfied with small carrier bag I use for essentials. It does fit perfectly in a jersey pocket but it's a bit naff. So I saw a Christmas gift idea list with the Lezyne phone caddy. This little pouch of wonder holds a spare tube, levers, a multi tool and a touch screen pouch for a smart phone. So I asked Andy if they had one and no was the answer, he tried to find me an alternative but my mind was set. So between Andy and Chris they set about ordering me one, which amazingly arrived today! it's perfect. I'm slightly disturbed that it also doubles as a belt loop pack (not on my watch not now not ever and I wouldn't have done that in the 90s either!) anyway you'll all be jealous when you see it.

I've had some mad work chats about cycling recently. Firstly a colleague revealed the furthest he's ever ridden is 6 miles. He did this as a daily commute on a bike that cost £50. As he was saying this I glanced at my £120 helmet on my desk which held at the time my Garmin Virb, gloves and eyewear. All told about £500 worth. That thought lingered and I realised as I rode on my bike that is an absolute bargain at a lot more than £50, that the kit I was using including lights and bits of clothing is flipping expensive. The bigger thought though is that I've got some really good stuff and there's virtually nothing I've regretted buying. Also I'm really glad of that club discount!

Another chat was even more hilarious. One of the secretaries who is actually retired but keeps coming in anyway was highly concerned that I cycle "all the way from Rothwell!" She worried that I was riding down the A14, as you know from above, I don't. Then she was fascinated with my big bike and especially the 'furry' wheels (the spiky bits you get with new tyres still haven't worn off.) I love her, she's hilarious. Even more than that I love talking cycling to non-cyclists. They look at me like riding ten miles is madness and should take half a day and to a person they believe that cycling on our roads is as dangerous as juggling rattlesnakes. Yesterday someone actually said: "Richard's brave, he cycles to work!' That's right, in another life I was in the charge of the light brigade!

Happy pedaling

Sunday Quick 29er Spin

I don'y know quite what's wrong with me but I'm suddenly not wanting to get out of bed early at the weekend. For that very reason I missed out on a Sunday club ride. To make up for this I decided a quick spin on the 29er was required and making use of some local trails made for a very nice ride.

Things did not start well. I was surprised to find a flat front tyre. I know I filled it with 'no flat' gunk so this was very weird. I pumped up...it went down...I pumped back up...it went back down!So I worked out where the leak was and span the tyre so that bit was on the floor and hopefully gravity would put the sealant right on the hole. I pumped back up and hey presto that did the trick.

Prologis Park

I strapped the garmin virb to my handlebars and set off up the best that is bunker hill. At Glendon I turned onto Prologis Park, a lovely bit of hard tracked public space. The surface is a bit loose which makes for fun riding.

Weekly Woods

After Prologis it was a quick trip over the A6003 into Weekly Woods, another piece of well laid out public space. Dodging dog walkers becomes the only issue and it was great to catch up with Nathan, the oversized copper and his tiny spaniels, well in reality they're normal sized they just don't look like it in his hands. Some good video footage to come. I didn't have time to explore but it also looks like they've improved bike access on the Boughton Estate with hard surface added to the previously heavily rutted mud tracks. That's another ride for another day.

Glendon to Rushton

After the woods I went back over the A6003. A bit of advice here, don't trust the cars to stop at the crossings. The roundabout is weird, people get it wrong and they also race the lights. I've had a massive near miss here. Just make sure they're stopping. From there I took the track from Glendon to Rushton. I'm hoping I've got some footage of a buzzard taking off from a hedge and some of the red kites too. These birds are now prolific in our area. The kites were deliberately reintroduced but the buzzards have reappeared of their own accord. The reason for their success is apparently cars! That's right the evil gas guzzlers have benefited wildlife! The bunnies, badgers, deer and squirrels disagree though. Because the secret of the raptors success is in fact roadkill!

Flat tyre? How very me!

Thankfully in a punishing wind this really was only a short ride. When I got back my front wheel started hissing again and was quickly flat. So after I hosed the bike down, I re-inflated the tyre and once again let gravity lend a hand. Hours later and the tyre remains at full pressure. Bizarre!

To recover from all that it was a trip to the Thornhill Arms, Rushton for Auntie Ann's birthday lunch. Good ale, nice steak, service was a bit slow but they were ridiculously busy. Perfect recovery food! 

Enjoy the video and happy pedaling.