Some more superb summer rides

I haven't written since the Solstice ride and there's one main reason for that. #houseproject2018. I really should've known when The Queen of Cakes agreed to me spending a load of money on bikes that 'getting a new kitchen,' would get out of hand! So there's been less time for cycling and lots less time for blogging...however...I'm  lucky man with an understanding wife, so there's still some lycra clad larks to write about!




Following the Summer Solstice it wasn't until last Wednesday that I felt ready to get back on a bike. I'd spent a couple of days walking like a much older man. It was just a short 40 minute blast and it was exactly what I needed to reboot my leg muscles.




The following day I swapped the road bike for my MTB. I've decided to take it turns with my bikes and headed to Desborough for that hidden gem that are the trails in their very well maintained public space known as the Plens.

It's not just a good place to bike. There's a nice loop to run around and some outdoor exercise equipment...if that floats your boat. Sometimes it floats mine but not today!

These trails are a good test of skill. I'm not the most technical of riders and it takes me  lap or two to get my eye. The key for me is practise.

I thought about riding the plank...a strange ache in my ribs and a tingling sensation in my wrist reminded me...DON'T!

On the Friday it was time to take out that stunning CX bike that is the Forme Calver. Not a huge ride just a spin round yet another great public space at Prologis Park.

That drop-off never looks scary from that angle...it really feels quite different looking down it over your handlebars. I remember last years FNSS race and arriving at the top, thinking about bottling it...then I saw people I knew watching and I had no choice! I didn't bother today.

I rode home via Rushton along that lovely track parallel to the railway line. At the top I was pleased to see those Llamas. They always make me smile!

After a tiring week at work and a lack of rest at home I started the Saturday C&D Cycles club ride questioning my fitness. I joined the faster group and we headed South East for the first time in a while. 

It was another glorious summer day and taking only one bidon, even when it holds "Big Dave's Special Blue Product," was a mistake!

My legs for the first twenty miles were actually pretty good. Andy Brown even remarked that his tactic was going to be drafting me! We had our official banana break at the gateway to Hinwick Hall. There's a clue that they don't want us to do that!

Chief loiterer Andy P was also amused by the idea we were being oppositional. We're just naughty schoolboys really. It was a great day for a ride in good company and banter just flowed. The truth about all the "keep off the grass," is that Hinwick Hall is near SantaPod Raceway and people try to park there for free! 

As famously featured in the Inbetweeners Road Trip and Ross Noble Freewheeling, cheers to Richard Golding for the picture.

On the route we had to make a couple of detours. We didn't want to go through Rushden Town Centre and then there was road closures which took us unexpectedly round to Earls Barton. By this time my legs were shot. We had a bit of a chain gang blast heading back into Harrowden but I cracked and fell off the back. At Orlingbury I decided to head home rather than go back to the shop. Our villages are beautiful but our towns are a pain so avoiding Kettering seemed like a good idea. It was a beautiful ride home and quite a surprise to discover I'd done 54 miles.

This recovery drink is Belgian and therefore meets the requirements of proper beer for cyclists! 

1. Rule #47//
   

   Drink Tripels, don’t ride triples.
   Cycling and beer are so intertwined we may never understand the full relationship. Beer is a recovery drink, an elixir for post-ride trash talking and a just plain excellent thing to pour down the neck. We train to drink so don’t fool around. Drink quality beer from real breweries. If it is brewed with rice instead of malted barley or requires a lime, you are off the path. Know your bittering units like you know your gear length. Life is short, don’t waste it on piss beer.

   

Then I didn't cycle at all for a whole week. I had to walk the dogs everyday and just couldn't get round to a ride in the evening despite some good things being organised. My day started with a quick walk for the hounds before it got too hot. I also made a first attempt at getting a picture of those massive red kites.

On the first Saturday of the month, in addition to the usual 30ish mile club ride, we have a long ride for those who want to complete the Strava 100km Fondo. Only four of us wanted to ride the long one due to some sort of football match. Apparently 'It's coming home!'

Mark C, Marcus, Graham and I set off and had made it about twenty metres before Mark insisted the route on his Garmin said one way, and the rest of us, with the route in our heads, insisted the other way. People power overruled technology...which was good because the Garmin was wrong. I'm really good at remembering routes that have been planned on roads I know well. That meant we followed the planned route perfectly until Theddingworth. It was lovely cycling out that way. The road from Naesby to Sibbertoft is one of my favourites and then we went down my ultimate favourite downhill just before Theddingworth.

Then we were a bit lost. Mark had given up on his Garmin and our attempts to use Strava and Google maps were hindered by poor 4G signals and sweaty fingers not working on touch screens!

No matter we were still having  a lovely time. I was very much arse end Charlie as things got hillier with those skinny fit lads flying up the hills. On the downhills, which were amazing, I caught them up. I think it there are definite advantages to a more powerful frame! Anyway they had to wait for me so we could continue our discussions on 70s and 80s TV. Today's gem was the top telly provided by Buck Rogers. 

Graham was today's puncture victim. Not a surprise with all the pot holes. My tubeless tyres took a couple of hits but a worrying hiss was replaced by a reassuring squirt of sealant which dealt with those holes brilliantly. I know the jury is still out on tubeless...I really like mine! Some fiddling ensued but Mark came to the rescue with a CO2 inflator that worked and we were on our way...wherever that was!

Our coffee stop for the day was at Tur Langton. This was the planned destination but not quite on the planned route. We felt sure we could could figure out a way to get to 100km. The Mint and Ginger coffeehouse sits in a courtyard of shops to strike fear into the heart of any man. The sort of place you pretend to enjoy pre-marriage. Any sensible married man has learnt the art of sulking in such places until their better half gets the message and decides they'd rather go with friends! The coffehouse however, is superb!

We then carried on with our mystery tour until we gratefully discovered a sign for Weston. Back in the Northamptonshire bit of the Welland Valley we regained our bearings. The plan was to go up Ashley hill to Wilbarston but we worked out we needed a few more miles and avoided that horrible lump. My tired legs were very happy about this. They were less happy on the hill at East Carlton but at least we were nearly home. It was so hot! On hills, without the air-rush of faster cycling it was unbearable. The best bit was riding through wooded areas where the shade was very welcome. 

Graham left us at Rushton and Mark & Marcus came back through Rothwell with me. As we entered my home town the Red Kites taunted me again. One massive bomber of a bird swooped right in front of us and was gone before I got the camera out. He was hovering over my house as I got home and below is the best picture I could get!

As my Strava showed 61.2 miles I clicked on finish...STUPID! 100km is 62.1 miles...I'd stopped on 98.5km and therefore I hadn't completed the Fondo! Oh who cares...I'll just do another 100km later in the month. What a brilliant excuse to have another great ride with great mates.

For those of you who opted to go shorter today. I was home in time to watch the GP qualifying, do a load of stuff around the house and watch the football AND catch a bit of the Tour de France!

In the evening we went to a 40th birthday party. It was for Gary Carter who rides with C&D and his wife Tammay his wife who works with the Queen of Cakes! We arrived to an amazing scene of Mr Blobby dancing with Freddy Kruger. The theme was prominent figures of the last 40 years which was stretched greatly. There was characters from Hi-De-Hi, two Freddy Mercury's, Dusty Bin, Darth Vader, The Spice Girls, Madonna, Amy Whinehouse, Chewbacca etc! Gary went as He-Man and Tammay as She Ra. Mrs Lindsley and I went as Ness and Smithy from Gavin and Stacey!

Lee looked great as Ness. I just looked like a bloke in a wig wearing a West Ham polo shirt. Luckily if I stood next to her people got it!

So back to cycling. My plan is to ride at least every other day because my fitness is definitely slipping. Today though I'm going to enjoy the cricket, Grand Prix and Tour de France...in between all that home improvement!

The final big shout out goes to my employer. The NHS had it's official 70th birthday on Thursday. I owe a lot more than my career to the NHS so let's celebrate and hope for another 70 years. #NHS70

Happy Pedalling

The Solstice 100 Mountain Bike Sportive

I'm writing today's blog basking in the glorious aches and pains you get from completing a hard cycling challenge. Yesterday four good cycling friends and I took on the Solstice 100 Mountain Bike Sportive. This was a 100 mile ride on a combination of surfaces including: tarmac, gravel, mud, forest trails, killer grass, bouncy rocks and five fords!

Here's a link to the event: https://www.mtbepicsuk.co.uk/events/

My day started with a ride to Kettering at 5.20am. You might think this was a bit mad before a 100 mile ride but there was method to my madness. Firstly it gave me the opportunity to taunt Andy and Chris for making me ride to them BUT most importantly I hadn't had time to test ride my bike and I wanted to find any niggles before we got going. With bikes in Chris' van we set off from Andy B's to meet Andy P and Mark C.

First shout out goes to Andy and Chris at C&D Cycles for preparing my magnificent Forme Calver. They have gone above and beyond to get my tubeless tyres set up just right and those tricky SRAM gears are tuned to perfection. It's a great bike and performed excellently, despite clogging the cogs with grass (sorry Andy, I didn't break it honest!) 

The Sportive started from the Pomfret Arms in Northampton. It was quite an atmosphere to start with around 200 riders and an eclectic collection of hardtails, full suspension and our collective weapon of choice the CX bike. I also bumped into an old friend and colleague Brendan. He was making his first attempt at this distance

In perfect weather we set off along tow paths to head out of Northampton. The swan was not impressed!

I'd say that the perfect bike for this ride does not exist. We certainly had an advantage on our CX bikes on the road and smoother off road sections. There was such a variety of surfaces and terrains though that a MTB would be better sited to and some downhill rocky sections which would be a lot of fun on full sus but a bit tricky on our skinny CX tyres and rigid frames. Early into the ride we encountered a recently mowed field full of upside down bikes. Not really picking up on the problem we obliviously rode on and then all had to stop as the grass had wound round our cogs...oh...that's what was going on!!!

There's one of the types of surface

After a hill that seemed to go on forever it suddenly became obvious that we were leaving Northants  and had arrived at burton-dassett-hills-country-park. This was our first food stop and it was very welcome indeed. We loaded up with bananas, nuts, haribo etc and refilled our camelbaks. 

Andy P eloquently described this as a stone tower!

Picture taken by the fabulous ladies managing the first food stop

I couldn't resist this

Here's some more idea of surface variety

On the way to the tower above which is actually https://www.hooky.co.uk/our_pubs/castle-inn-in-edgehill/ we had a great time in some surprise woodland trails. I think we had our first tumble (Andy P I think but the memory is a bit blurred!) The other thing was I had my first hint of my old nemesis cramp. 

This has to be special moment of the day. I nearly hyperventilated when I arrived at the scene to see Andy P desperately pulling at his front wheel which was buried in the mud. He described the event as receiving a warning from Chris...then his front wheel planted, his bike went up at the back, he miraculously unclipped and sort of run off the front of the bike.

We were a bit behind so missed all the action due to the rocky descent where Andy P had thrown up a  rock which knocked Andy B off his bike. I then cramped and also fell off...much to Mark's amusement! This was just one of those sections where were definitely on the wrong bikes! The video below has some footage from the grass incident and some from the stuck in the mud section. It also has to be said that Chris was by far the most accomplished off road rider. He's the only one who didn't take a tumble and was usually fastest down the hills!

We went through five fords in total. Some were the typical ones on tarmac roads and others were boggy fly infested stink pits.

After around 50 miles my cramp became a real problem. I'm not sure exactly what the issue was but my best guess is that a week of home improvement and no cycling is not good preparation. Everone had a plethora of advice about drinking more, having a gel etc. Andy B questioned my saddle height and adjusting this a few mm higher actually helped for about 15 miles. Then my legs weer just gits. ONe minute I'd feel strong and then suddenly I was paralysed by cramp. The others were very patient with me but the truth is I held them up and we'd have all finished at least an hour earlier if my legs hadn't let us down.

Kindly we had an extra stop at this pub. I really needed it! We also discussed how tempting it would be to settle down for the afternoon and book a taxi to get us home!

posing plonkers

Just a lovely shot

This is not a shot of Andy P post tumble...he's just very relaxed

As I said tumbles aplenty! I had a high speed fall going down a track. I just clipped an edge and lost control. Luckily it was a soft landing and I just have a graze on my elbow and hip. Mark was less lucky and has holes in his club jersey. At the same time as Mark's crash, Chris B had our only puncture of the day...if you don't count Andy B's leaky tubeless issues! All of this happened after our final food stop at 82 miles. Everyone was tired at this point...we ate loads drank loads and then instantly started talking about food and drink. A pint and burger at the Pomfret Arms was calling us!

We set off again and it was with some relief for me that we made it back to the towpath on the Blisworth arm. My legs picked up for a while until we left the canal and entered Hunsbury Park. With less than two miles to go my legs then decided to misbehave again. I had the indignity of Chris  pushing my bike up the hill whilst I did that highly amusing shuffle that is the only thing that eases cramp at times. 

Some more classic bikes at the Pomfret Arms

Finally we were back at the pub where the pint and burger were very very welcome! 

Warning: There is some swearing on the following video. Do not watch if you are sensitive to colourful language

Some big thanks need to go to MTB Epics and Northants Outkasts MTB for organsing such a great event. The course was brilliant, a really well linked clever mix of surfaces. They said "see you next year when we left and I'd say that's likely!"

My biggest thanks go to my ride companions today. A great bunch of blokes on a great day's cycling!

Happy Pedalling