The longest day...

I had a couple of weeks off from blogging due to a lack of material...this week though there is plenty to blog about. It's going to be the usual mix of running and cycling plus some big shout outs to cycling friends who have put massive rides in recently.

It's the five year anniversary of Dusk 2 Dawn, an epic 205 mile ride around the border of Northamptonshire. Here's my blog from back then:

 https://richardscyclingblog.blogspot.com/2015/06/d2d-2015-c-cycles-200-mile-challenge.html

I have to say it was a brilliant day but five years is still not long enough to tempt me back into another 200 miler. I'm happy to do 100km fondos and the occasional 100 mile ride!

I'm going to do the distance shout outs now because I think they're way more interesting than my activity! Firstly Phil Wilkinson has bashed out more centuries than Alistair Cook this year, last night in the Corby Capers quiz we learned that he completed eight 100 mile rides in May alone and has kept that going in June! All of this whilst working full time so it's not like its a Covid furlough thing! This weekend it would have been the MTB Epic Solstice 100 ride so Andy Pendred and Marcus Bird did  a 100 mile MTB ride using some of the route provided and adding their own extras. Amy Bird should have also completed this but her Dad let her down by not making her bike tubeless! More on tubeless later!!! At the same time it should also be Mountain Mayhem this weekend so Adrian 'Kila,' Killworth also put in a massive 100 mile off road ride. Another thing I learned from the Corby Capers Quiz last night is that Adrian has completed the Three Peaks CX race 10 times and that Dean Barnett once came second in that event in 1994 (unless I've got the answer to that question wrong again!) If you don't know about the three peaks it's a 61 km race in the Yorkshire Dales. That 61 km has 1524m (5000ft) of climbing, 28km of road, 33km offroad and 8km which are described as unrideable! For those 8km, competitors mostly carry their bike uphill. The GCN video below gives you an idea of how tough it is!

The big rides by cycling friends don't stop there though! Another thing that hasn't happened this weekend is the Race the Sun coast to coast from The Isle of Sheppey to Burnham on Sea. Instead of that Ian aka Clint Boodhist did a 200mile ride with fellow BXV rider Emily, riding from Brixworth to the Norfolk coast. Rob Campbell also went big with a 135 mile unofficial, 'Another Taste of Rutland.' Lastly but not least of the cycling shout outs, Greta Crabtree did her first 100km. Really impressive stuff going on out there, chapeau all round!!! Also worthy of a shout out is Matthew Peleszok who yesterday attempted a 70 mile run! He fell short after falling sick at 34 miles but still pushed onto to nearly 50 miles before giving up. 50 miles is a bike ride not a run!

Not that exciting. This was a test to see if having something to eat before I went for a run helped with my pace...the answer is no! I ruined the experiment anyway as I chose this week to add a bit of strength training. After doing squats and lunges for the first time in a while I had a bad case of DOMS (delayed onset muscular strain,) and was never going to run faster like that! I'm glad I started the strength work again though. I take the DOMS as a sign that I need to do more of this!!!

I had a better run a few days later and ticked off the 10k for June. I only do this because of the Strava challenge. Funny what motivates us isn't it?

The next run I did was 'not a parkrun.' I'm really missing Parkrun, I hope it's either back by August the 1st or they announce it won't be soon! More self imposed pressure has me wanting to run my 50th Parkrun on my 50th birthday and August the first is the deadline for that being possible. I sandwiched this run with a run/walk warm up to Desborough Greenspace and walking home to Rothwell afterwards. The run itself was disappointing. The spring in my step is either there or it isn't and I can't explain the different days! Mrs Lindsley has a theory that I get pace motivation from Parkrun and without it I'm less able to push myself.

This is more like it for the cycling blog. I decided to put the fun back into my activity and just go for a fun spin on my mountain bike. No pace or distance expectations, just a roll in the countryside. So I headed out to the old favourite that is Geddington Chase.

First stop Prologis Park

I had  nice spin through Prologis Park and onto Weekly Woods. Those woods are under threat from planning to expand the industrial estate. That's a great shame as it's a good public space. However they made such a good job of Prologis perhaps we should just trust the planners to do the right thing. Those big sheds exist because we all like our consumer items!

As is typical these days, lots of cyclists, walkers and runners were out and about. I was so used to routinely saying hello to everyone I didn't notice at first when I greeted Harriet from work out on her bike. Afterwards we both contacted each other to say, sorry only realised it was you afterwards! The chase itself was in good condition and made for good riding, if anything it was getting a little too hard and dry.

I then headed through Brigstock and up Old Dry Lane. I wasn't sure how much more I wanted to do but thought that at least I'd pop to see the sculptures at Bocase Farm.

What you looking at?

Don't mess with this geezer

This is where I needed Lord Pendred. I would have liked to double back round to Fermyn Woods but just wasn't sure of the way...so I just headed back the way I came!

On the way back through I spotted this on the Boughton Estate before Geddington and Weekly Woods. I'm not sure if it's art or just an abandoned old bike. I'd like to think it's deliberate. I headed home via Rushton on what will always be on.e of my favourite tracks.

I decided to give myself a few days off before trying another run on Friday. This time I headed back to Desborough Greenspace to see if I could improve my time. I did, just about, but I'm still far from happy with my running. I think the best thing I could do is to try to ignore my pace and just get back to enjoying a run. 

On Saturday I joined a group ride for the first time since March. The lockdown is lifting and restrictions are easing. Technically we are allowed to ride in groups of six with social distancing. So I'm going to tell you that we rode in groups of six!

Always wonky!

This blog used to be about cycling routes, it just grew into something else...that's a good thing because since I got  Wahoo I have not paid attention at all. All I can tell you is we headed East into Cambridegshire. We went into Stilton and then headed back towards K town.

On the way back we headed up Morborne Hill, which as you can imagine is as impressive as a hill gets in Cambridgeshire, it certainly didn't take much wattage.

Tower thing

Trek Madone...I think I'm in love!!!

It has clever flaps!!!

During the banana break I noticed Graham was not on his usual Specialised...frankly his new steed, a Trek Madone is a thing of beauty. Graham did not know that Madone is a climb in the Giro...I think I've been doing too many quizes! My goodness though what a beautiful bike. Until yesterday I hadn't seen nicer aero rim brake than the ones on my Giant Propel...well I have now! I must also praise Graham on not spoiling the aesthetics with a saddle bag! I think we were the only ones on the ride without one. Pockets!!! That's why they're on cycling jerseys!!! 

 Rule 29 // No European Posterior Man-Satchels.Saddle bags have no place on a road bike, and are only acceptable on mountain bikes in extreme cases.

As we headed down the hill there was a scary pop and hiss. I watched Steve's bike like a hawk which was foolish because it was in fact Justin who'd punctured. He is a sensible man and therefore has embraced tubeless. Unfortunately he whipped out a tube and cracked the seal on his rim before I had the chance to offer one of my worm plugs. Then we tried to plug and reinflate with CO2 which doesn't ever seem to work with sealant. Then we had to turn to Ken to remove the tubeless valve. Our weedy hands are no match for Ken's plumber grip. Tube in and off we go...at the same time Nat was also changing her tube!

A few miles on and we were dropping Ken! He announced feeling unwell and that he, a type 1 diabetic was experiencing low blood sugar. Ken wanted us to go on without him as he felt he could manage the situation. Well none of us were having that and we kept him in the group to Benefield where Nat broke a spoke! Ken the legend who we were all supposed to be looking after, stopped to help! We then drafted them back to Brigstock where Ken got some more sugar in him via a chocolate bar. He went from looking like death to his normal self in just a few minutes much to our relief.

It was then up the bumps to Grafton before heading separate ways. A few of us went to the tea rooms in Geddington for my new favourite thing. A croque monsieur! Here's a recipe which I might just try https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/perfect-croque-monsieur

I was on 58 miles when we left Geddington which was perfect. The ride home took me to 63 and I completed my 100km Fondo for June!

Saturday night was a complete treat. It started with a Thai Gardens take away. Then it was Corby Capers quiz time. This week Huw hosted which meant that splendid young man couldn't win for a change. He did a great job with a mix of local questions, questions about all of us and questions from professional cycling. As I said above I enjoyed learning about Dean and Kila at the 3 peaks and also about Sean's highest climb, Phil's centuries, David's KOMs. The question about me asked who is my favourite from: Sven Nys, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, Mrs Lindsley and Phil Wilkinson? Huw allowed two answers so obviously I picked Mrs Lindsley and Pauline, sorry Phil! I then got the flipping Sven Nys question wrong...that's karma for you!!!

After I got these magnificent Father's Day gifts I headed out for a ride on my mountain bike! Not before I had listened to my good friend Nigel's Sunday morning facebook gig. We should have been riding the Dartmoor Classic today. Something else 2020 ruined!

My plan was to head out to Harrington, then Arthingworth, along the Brampton Valley Way, up to Maidwell out towards Haselbech and then back through Lamport and then I was just going to see how much more I wanted to do...none of that happened. I didn't make it to Harrington...

I was heading along this track looking for the bridleway that comes out on the Harrington Road, I've only been this way once before. I followed the track round the corner and then down a nice little dip into a stable yard. Oh I thought, that's not right so I went back through the dip. Then I heard a lady scream stop as  dog charged towards me. I stopped and the dog bit me on the leg, when it let go I got off my bike and put it between me and the dog. The lady was really upset and I had claret streaming down my leg. She told me I was on private land and she wasn't wrong! I had missed the bridleway gate. She told me the dog was a rescue and only acted like this around bikes. She quickly got it under control and it was clear this wasn't a normally aggressive animal. 

I went through this gateway...the bridleway is to the left of it!

There it is!!!

To my mind I am mostly at fault here. If I wasn't on her land the lady's dog would not have bitten me. Some people would see this differently but I assured her that I would not be reporting the dog. I would be absolutely gutted if a dog had to be destroyed because of my actions. I'm also assuming from now on she will close her gate so that others are less likely to make the mistake.

For me it was a quick trip home and then a drive to Corby urgent care for dressing, a tetanus jab and anti-biotics...which I'll start tomorrow so I can enjoy my father's day booze!

I think that's enough for now!

Happy Pedalling!

Lockdown lifting but still riding solo!

Another week of these bizarre times has passed and it seems we may be able to meet friends and family a bit more from tomorrow. This week for me though has been much like last week. I have been for a run on my own, been out on my bike alone, had another ride with Sam and we've had another Corby Capers quiz.

Things are also progressing at home as the Queen of Cakes continues to use her 12 weeks of enforced shielding to work on the house. The garden is her latest project and this is my favourite addition so far!

Nothing unusual about this route, it's my regular morning spin. However I'm quite please with a 17.6 mph average. It might not be fast for some but for me it's a sign that my fitness is starting to get there.



The next day I went for my standard 5k run. Unlike my ride the day before this was a slow run for me. I'm really not sure what happened but I have  theory to test next week. I tend to run fasted in the morning. I'm going to experiment with a small breakfast to see if that gives me more spring in my step because I'd never dream of doing parkrun without eating.

On Friday evening Sam asked to go for another ride with me and as he thinks my standard route is fun we did that again!!!

It was lovely to be out on a bike with him and this shows the last ride wasn't a one off. Just need to keep this going. Hilariously Sam just wanted a chilled ride and no KOMs were under threat!

I was a very lucky boy in other ways on Friday. My box of Belgian beers arrived including the stunning Wipers Times. I also had an early Father's Day present; my new barbecue. I have already bought high quality Pipewell charcoal and we will fire it up later today.

Saturday was about exploring and working out what else was possible in terms of off road routes.The ground is now rock hard and I was glad I chose my MTB and not a CX bike.

Lovely Day!

I wanted to work out where I'd gone wrong from Pipewell a few weeks ago and...Failed miserably! This lovely gravel road is not the bridleway and apparently not a public right of way! A farmer kindly pointed out where I'd gone wrong. A shame because this was a nice bit of gravel riding.

Back on track and I once again enjoyed the bridleway through to Cottingham and then onto the Jurassic Way that runs at the bottom of East Carlton Park.

The horses were getting a lot of attention from the many visitors to the park and I had to take it easy through this bit.

I found the bridleway to Ashley and in these conditions it was a real treat. It's mostly ploughed field without ridges so it rode well. However I would not want to attempt this on soft ground.

The bridleway out of Ashley is okay but quite rutted. Again CX wheels would have struggled. It was good riding though and very hilly!

Often on rides like this it's difficult to be confident on trails you don't know. If only there was a sign like this more often! I followed the sign for Brampton Ash and it wasn't the easiest to ride on. After a few ploughed hills and steep hills which were too bumpy to enjoy it opened up into some parkland. I was hoping to find a way from the  A427 across to Desborough airfield. However I couldn't make out the track and there were lots of cows in the fields...I've mentioned before I don't trust them! So I just took the A427 to Stoke Albany and the road back to Desborough. A quick spin through the woods and then home via Shotwell Mill Lane. It was hot, dry, dusty and that's the most tired I have felt from a 20 mile bike ride in a very long time! It was good though. Next time I might go a different way at that 5 way sign.

In the evening we had the Capers quiz hosted by me. I was actually quite nervous because I wanted people to enjoy the quiz. If anyone else would like  go here's the link to the My Quiz web page https://myQuiz.org/q/13ede017-a039-44bc-a243-dfc2d11ccef3. It's a mixture of Tour de France, Giro, CX, Tour of Britain, Women's Tour, Hill Climbing and virtual rides during Covid. Everyone said they enjoyed it and they're not the sort of blokes to say it if they don't mean it. What struck me is that the good folk of Capers have amazing knowledge and even more than that have ridden alongside a lot top riders. It makes me wish I'd taken cycling seriously as a younger man.

Today I was looking for a few hours on the road and once again Brixworth Velo provided me with the perfect route. I hope they carry on creating routes that pass close to Rothwell! This time I decided to go clockwise. I wanted to head to Brixworth first as a kind of psychological trick. Weird things go through your head cycling. For me, if I'd ridden the other way it would feel like a second bike ride home when I got to Brixworth. Judging by the amount of BXV riders I saw, most of them did the route the other way. No idea who gave me the thumbs up from a car or who said hello way back at Foxhall, I'm hoping to find that out at some point!

With the wind behind me and possibly the flatter part of the route I made it through to Cottersbrooke in no time. Then it changed a little. As I approached Haselbech hill my legs tightened and half way up I was not enjoying the climb. However, as is often the case, once I'd done it I felt great and got back to enjoying the ride. 

I love the road from Naseby to Sibbertoft and today it was as nice as usual. After Sibbertoft I usually head to Theddingworth down that very steep hill. As my speed record is 52mph down there, it's probably a good thing I went the other way to Marston Trussell. 

On the hill out of Lubenham I saw these contraptions

Stunning views

Weston-on-Welland

Dingley water tower

There was a real test of the legs at the end of the ride for me. From Sutton Bassett it was uphill to Dingley, then uphill again to Braybrooke and then two more good hills through to Harrington! This would be another good hill training section. As I started that last hill I could see what looked like a recumbent in the distance with something else. I caught them at the top of the hill to find it was a lady on a hand bike and a child on a small horse. No idea who the lady was but I guess she has to be local. Kudos to her on that hill on a hand bike!

I really enjoyed that route and may do that again if I want something that's around 3 hours. 

So next week we can start riding in small groups again although the 2m rule remains so no tight bunches! I have enjoyed the solo rides but I'm also really missing cycling mates. Maybe next weekend it will start to get a little better for us lycra loonies.

Happy Pedalling

Runs, the end of free Strava, a Father's pride and a windy ride!

Having said I wouldn't blog this week it appears I have more than enough to write about! So this week it will be the usual bits on my running, some thoughts on the changes to Strava, the apparent return of Dad and lad rides and the big ride of the week!

It's the standard 5k to kick things off. Another good run but really not much else to say other than it pushed me to one run from completing the May marathon.

On Wednesday Sam Lindsley made my day! He asked if we could go for a ride together after work. In the morning I took the turbo tyre off my trusty Forme Longcliffe and made sure everything was shipshape for our ride. I put the seat back down, which was silly because it's now back at the height I had it. This is 'currently,' the right height for Sam which we all know means, he's nearly as tall as me and no doubt will soon be taller! I knew I had to be careful on the route choice. Long enough to worth it but not tool long to put Sam off. So we went for my standard 17 mile morning loop. Sam loved it! I loved being out for a ride with Sam. 

The next day Sam was telling his big brother Joe all about it. He was also keen to show Joe my strava, especially how many miles I've ridden over the years. Oh my god he actually sounded proud of his Dad!

I'm hoping this is a turning point and Sam will get back into cycling in a big way. I know not to push too hard. I definitely won't mention CX unless he does. This feels great - I don't want to ruin it!

On Thursday it was time for another run. Standard 5k route but I ran it in reverse. Earlier in the week I had bumped into Sharon from junior parkrun. This time I saw Gordon. It really gives me a boost to see people that I haven't sen for a while due to Covid19. I also completed the Covid marathon. When I looked on Strava though I realised that the changes to the free version meant I couldn't see my monthly total!

In response to that I decided to give the 60 day trial a go. So what's going on with Strava? Well they've decided that they need to focus on the paid version of the app and if possible make that the 'norm,' for Strava. My first thought was that this was a mistake. However I can see their point. The most popular tracking app available is not profitable. It appears we've all had it too good for too long. By moving to the paid app, not only have I got the features I'm used to back but also the premium features are now available. I know I would miss my training log and Strava without segments doesn't feel right at all. The extra stuff like the advanced fitness analysis and the live segments have already grabbed my attention. So...it looks like I might have become a subscriber after all!

On Saturday night we had another Corby Capers quiz. This week Sean hosted a superb quiz. It was back to my turn to be a techno dunce as for some reason Zoom would not work on my ipad. I'm going to host the quiz next week and I think it might be time to use the laptop! Sean struggled with kahoot so we went old school and held up cards from A-D with our multi-guess answers. It was great fun. Cheers to all and I hoe you enjoy next week!

This morning my good friend and work colleague, Amanda, agreed to hold the on call phone for a few hours so I could get a ride in. That's top 'looking after each other,' as far as I'm concerned and I am very grateful that my workmates understand how important cycling is to me.

I'd seen the route on the Brixworth Velo facebook page and it was ideal for me, passing close to home and providing a nice 50 mile loop. The direction was optional with the hope of seeing other riders out and about whilst maintaining social distancing! I opted to head towards Catthorpe into a strong headwind. It was horrible. However there was method to my madness. Much like a rugby team that opts to play into the wind in the first half to get the benefit in the second half, I was hoping the ride home would be much better than the ride out!

After 5 miles I felt like turning around and coming back. However I pushed on and eventually got to Catthorpe...sometimes pedalling hard downhill!

The ride back was well worth the ride there! As I turned eastwards it was like I was getting a big push in the back. There's a flat bit before you get to Yelvertoft and without much effort I was cruising at respectable speed. 

Out of Yelvertoft it gets a bit hilly for a while but I have to say I didn't really notice. Cheers tailwind! I'd gone from suffering to singing. Today's earworm was the Killers - Mr Brightside. It stayed like that all the way to Holdenby where the route creators had clearly planned a sting in the tail. Two decent hills in a very short space of time took me back to Brixworth. It was then only about ten miles home via Scaldwell, Old and Harrington. What a great ride!

That's it for this week.

Happy Pedalling