Blown away

I was expecting in my second week of leave to get a lot of cycling done. Sometimes it doesn't work like that. A couple of runs and one group ride are all I have to show for the last 7 days. We did get some decorating done, walk the dogs loads and had a trip to the seaside!

I was really pleased on Monday that Niamh asked to go for a run with me. She was once a talented athlete but a combination of bad luck and injuries that in her esrly teens. I'm sure with encouragement, Niamh, who still has pace and an impressive cartwheel, can become a good runner.

On Monday night we should have had cyclones but the weather forecast for the week was for heavy rain and thunderstorms. So we cancelled! Then the weather made fools of us all. Other places had storms and flooding, Kettering stayed dry until much later that night.

On Tuesday I was fitting my new brake blocks. Hooray no more loud brakes!!! 

old...

New!

However I also spotted a tyre issue. My rear tubeless Hutchinson Fusion 5, a tyre I've been totally impressed with looked wrong. There was a bulge and a build up dried sealant on the side wall. It looked wrong and I wouldn't feel confident riding on it. When I peeled off the sealant it didn't reveal a puncture it looked as though the sidewall was worn down to the webbing! 

As we wanted to ride the Rocko TT the next day I ordered a new tyre on next day delivery. Normally I'd order 2 but the front was still in very good. As it happens the tyre didn't arrive in time but Sam was far from keen on a miserable Wednesday evening. One of the things I like about Hutchinson tyres is that they just work. The trusty lemonade bottle tubeless tyre inflator worked on the second go. The rim popped in, I inflated to 80psi and it hasn't lost a molecule of air since!

On Thursday we went to Wells Next the Sea for the day. It was the best weather of the week and Wells is very nice. The dogs had a good swim and we had proper seaside fish and chips. The only issue was that the place was packed due to the nice weather and people were ignoring the one way system and social distancing. This made Mrs L who has been shielding uncomfortable and therefore we didn't make it to the main beach.

On Friday I went for another run at Desborough airfield. With Niamh on Monday I realised that its just over a 5k flat loop and perfect for setting a notparkrun time. Well it would have been. The wind was horrendous and after a couple of km with a tailwind I turned into the headwind. Wow it was tough! Nevertheless that's my best time in ages and it answers my question about my times on my regular hilly route. 

On Saturday I was playing it by ear. High winds and group rides are not a clever combination. However the wind had reduced to a strong breeze so I headed out to join the group at Kettering swimming pool car park. We split into 3 groups and I headed out in group one with Graham, Steve Minney, Ian, Mike and we picked Mark Skinner up in Loddington.

The other side of Loddington I felt like I'd picked the wrong group as Graham set the pace. Thankfully they slowed down a bit but I felt it was a notch too fast all ride. That's more about me though, two weeks of indulgence never helps my cycling pace!

We headed up a road I'd never even noticed before after Kelmarsh. The route tried to send us across a field. I'm planning to explore that on a different bike but for this ride we had a detour before picking the route back up in Naesby! 

This ride got seriously lumpy after that! The hills into Guilsborough, the glorious descent into Hollowell, up to Creaton and then the daddy hill of the day at Haselbech (still no idea how to pronounce this.) This has been used as a QOM in the Ladies tour and still has paint on the road from supporters. As we headed back through Rothwell I gave the cafe stop a miss...mostly because I'd already been up Bunker Hill once that day. I didn't want to tax my legs twice! The only disadvantage was that I didn't see anyone from the other groups.

I rewarded myself with some quality ales from Wine Time. This will have to stop for a few weeks as I have a post holiday health kick. Live like a monk, train like a ninja!!! (Not the type of monk that makes the ales above!)

Whilst we've been off Mrs L has decorated the man room. My trusty Giant has a new home. I'm still deciding on getting a bracket or leaving it on the worktop.

Back to work tomorrow but still lots of riding to look forward to. 

Happy Pedalling 

Lazy leave week with a busy end!

2020 has been the most bizarre of years. Instead of currently being in Australia we're on a fortnight staycation. The plan is to make the best of things whilst getting some needed R&R.

On Monday I  set out for Kettering to coach those great kids at KCC Cyclones. I was a bit lethargic before hopping on my bike and as usual a few minutes in I was feeling great again. I've also been working on the best off road route to Ise Lodge. Its been a few years since I tried the trails around the back of Brambleside and into Weekley Glebe. What I discovered was a lovely surprise of fun single track!

Coaching itself was a joy. I only had a rough plan as you can't be sure of the groups at this time of year. We had a blast making use of natural features such as trees to practise cornering and gears. 

I had a great fun ride home back through the single track, across Weekley Woods and down the track to Rushton.

On Tuesday I was lucky enough to spend some time fishing at Andy P's House. It was lovely to sit by the river. Not much action on a bright sunny day but very relaxing and as usual the hosts were exceptional!

On Wednesday I had a delivery I'd been waiting for. All of my bikes had bar tape that was frankly embarrassing. On my CX and one of the road bikes I'd previously put some glowing grey camo tape on. This looked spectacular to start with but now looked shabby.

Much better!

For my Giant Propel, the white saddle, pedals, bottle cage and bar tape had looked great when they were new. Now I'm on a mission to replace the lot with black.

This Giant branded tape came with Giant plug ends and I'm way happier with how this looks. As for my taping skills...well after 3 bikes in a week I have achieved "acceptable!"

I have alao solved a mystery. Every week I was getting a brownish red mark on my neck from my chin strap.

The culprit was the hook I hang my helmet on is going rusty! I'm guessing the corrosion is due to my sweaty helmet!!! So I've solved that problem with some insulation tape!

Sam and I were due to go to Rocko TT again on Wednesday evening and a lot of that taping was about making the bikes more presentable for racing. However it was a blistering hot day and Sam was not impressed by the idea. A reduced field did pin on a number. Kudos to them but I was thankful that Sam wanted to leave it for another day!

Friday was supposed to be a big rest day for me because I knew Saturday was going to be tough! Mrs L and I had free tickets to Althorp House grounds courtesy of being NHS staff. 

The house isn't open to the public right now but the grounds alone are worth the visit. The tribute to Diana is very well maintained. I loved the quote on her memorial.

Making a day of it we also had a wander around Coton Manor House Gardens. Not a freebie but you can see where the £8 entry fee is spent. We were a bit younger than the average visitor. I had neither dressed in socks and sandals in solid octogenarian beige or elected for full himalayan hiking kit. So we felt young and trendy for the first time in a long time. (Trendy...there's a word that ages me!)

After some quality time with Mrs L I thought I could get my feet up and relax watching the 🏏 cricket. That was going to plan nicely until her friend arrived and I ended up a ladder picking apples...no worries I sat back down again to relax...then I was asked how many bricks we had left in the garden...coming dear! I counted 248 and was told not to be stupid...Mrs L then also counted 248. She then told me her cousin was on the way round with a van as she needed the bricks!!! Operation wheelbarrow went into full swing and before long I was sweating cobs on my rest day...no matter after a dog walk I did get some rest! I also stuck to alcohol free beer that night!

Saturday morning started with a run! Matthew Peleszok had kindly enlisted my help as part of the Desborough Runners virtual relay team. My slot was at 7am so I'd still be able to go for a group ride. I did my best for my alloted 30 minutes but I was not on top running form. I'm not sure if I was putting myself under pressure or just holding back because I was going out on my bike.

When I got home I seriously doubted I wanted to go for a bike ride. However Matt messaged me and wished me a good ride. So then I felt obligated to go! 

As in previous week a group of us met at Kettering Swimming Pool. We set off in three groups. I joined Neil, Steve Duke and 'Big Richard,' in group 2.

The planned route was about 43 miles heading out to Raunds, round the back of Rushden, through Grendon, up Earls Barton hill and into Orlingbury for coffee via that gloriously quick Sywell straight.

After my run I was not feeling it at all. However the answer to almost every problem is cycling. Well, that and banter. As ever we laughed almost as much as we pedalled and by 20 miles I started to really enjoy it. Big thanks here to Mr Duke for ensuring his Strava profile picture has a full view of the scenery from his recent Cornish holiday. Thank goodness for the man's bare faced cheek. Also thanks to Neil for his suggested banana 🍌 break where group 3 caught up with us.

We rode together from there with no worries about social distancing as Bruce and Amy left us all in their wake. We had no choice but to stop in Wollaston for the traditional inbetweeners picture.

On the way out of Mears Ashby we encountered a car driver who needs the sign above for his personalised number plate. This utter twit tried to overtake us on a narrow road with another car heading towards us. His solution was to pull into the middle of the group, beeping angrily. Luckily the car headed towards us had better sense and stopped. I'm not especially proud of our angry response, the driver knows in uncertain terms how we felt! However the most bewildering thing was he pointed at his dash cam. I really hope the misguided moron takes his footage to the police. 

Rant over. On the whole cyclist v motorist debate I have always felt there needs to be tolerance on both sides. On a 58 miles four hour ride, this was the only issue. That means for most of the time there isn't a problem. However one pillock can spoil the day...or to quote the Sterophonics...it only takes one match to burn a thousand trees.

Once the drama was passed we got onto the quick road to Harrowden. Having all lied about taking it easy we organised into a chain resulting in a sprint. I tried to match Amy but saw my heart rate go through 180bpm and thought better of it. Wobbly legs then took me up the hill into Orlingbury.

The cafe already had about £30k of carbon sat outside when we arrived. Its no wonder this is a popular stop. Even though they have the BEST sausage rolls I opted for a bacon, sausage and egg bap.

I think everyone had milkshake envy when Mark's drink arrived! Richard G helpfully asked them to refer to him as "big Richard," so our drinks didn't get mixed up. 

After the cafe stop Bruce joined me as we tried to find the flattest route home. I was now shattered and wobbling along at about 13mph. Bruce stayed with me until Orton and then headed off for even more miles! I was close to 100k fondo distance but just couldn't be bothered to do four more miles. 58 is and odd number to stop on, even weirder as its 95ish km but I was glad to get home. I'd taken the magic magnesium after my run otherwise I'm sure this would have been a crampy last few miles!

I rewarded my self with some quality Belgian and German beers. 

Today I'm having a recovery day, with plans for more big rides next week. All I've done is a damp and muddy dog walk. 

This afternoon the recovery nutrition will be maintained with Mum's Sunday lunch and Dad's cider before we settle down as a family to watch Saints v Wasps. My Nan is the biggest fan and the telly will get quite a telling off if the Saints don't play well!!!

Big shout out to Steve Coombs who continues his epic ride unsupported xthrough France on the French Divide 2020

The only other thing to mention is the Dauphine is in full spin and I'm enjoying the traditional warm up to the Tour de France. Right now Roglic looks firm favourite for the TdF and Ineos look in decline. However this is 2020...who knows what will happen! (UPDATE Roglic retired from race!)

Happy Pedalling 

A little bit of everything!

Another great week of cycling, running and dog walking. It started with coaching at KCC Cyclones, a couple of 5k runs, some solo rides, off and on road, taking Sam to RFW TT and the big group ride of the week.

No images from my coaching session. I was very tired before I got to cyclones. That 111 mile ride from the weekend was still in my legs and I was on the countdown to a couple of weeks of leave. However coaching the kids did the trick, I perked right up and pretty soon I was wishing I'd ridden over to Kettering rather than throwing the bike in my car. 

On Tuesday morning I wanted a sneaky recon ride on my MTB to find the sunflowers 🌻 everyone is talking about. I had a fun off road spin using the tracks from Rushton to Pipewell.

It was a beautiful morning and wish I had a better camera to show this off!

From Pipewell I headed to the trails in Desborough Greenspace (or the Plens.) The kids have been busy in the woods rebuilding the jumps and adding some scary gaps. I had a look but definitely took the wetty lines to avoid injuries!!!

Then I got to the leisure centre and couldn't resist a go on the pump track. No kids were there to laugh at the silly old man. 

Then I took Desborough's little piece of Strade Bianche over to those sunflowers. Totally worth a visit! Even at 07.30 a few people had come for a look.

Operation Helianthus was a success and I brought the Queen of Cakes back for an evening walk with the dogs.

On Wednesday morning I headed out for my first run of the week. This was my fastest run in ages on this hilly route so I was quite pleased with myself.

On Wednesday evening I took Sam over to Middleton and the Rockingham Forest Wheelers clubhouse. Sam wants to do TT but football is his first love. KCC TT is on Thursday and this clashes with football training. So he's joined RFW and as an official club tart RFW is also a 2nd claim club for me. We received a warm welcome and Sam was soon kitted out in a RFW Jersey. 

15 years old Sam is now about my height and I'm sure it won't be long before I'm the shortest Lindsley male again. Sam did well considering how little he's ridden lately. He has a time to improve on now. I love the course, its a lovely part of our county.

Due to road closures it will be a different course next week. Its a hilly one...I'm sure this will cost me a McDonald's!!!

On Thursday morning I just needed to get more miles in my legs and headed out for my standard spin. I had a slight detour due to a road closure. It was just nice to be out! No pictures I was too busy letting my cycling do its wellbeing work!

I was really on it last week and headed out for another run on Friday. I didn't feel as spritely as Wednesday but was still going okay until the single track heading up the hill back into Rothwell. Also walking up the hill blocking the path was a large gentleman. It was a warm morning but possibly a bit early for being topless and there is no appropriate time of the day for that builders bum! As I got closer I saw the Ricky Hatton and Tyson Fury tatoos on his calfs. He appeared to be mumbling to himself. I gave up and walked at a safe distance after a couple of attempts to get his attention "excuse me can I get past please!" When it was wide enough to pass I spotted the problem...ear pods. He had no idea I was there and didn't even really notice me run by. Ear pods and oblivious people are my second least favourite thing after extending dog leads. 

On Saturday it was time for the big group ride of the week. It was already hot by the time we met at 8.45. 15 of us turned up so we did 3 groups of five. Scarily I found myself in a group with superfast Graham on his delicious Trek. Also with me was Mark Skinner who set off like a rocket, Ian and Andy P.

I was also testing my new gripgrap sweat wicking, 50+ spf, cooling, comfort skull cap. This thing works! My head felt warmer to start but never got hot. Also there are added benefits for us baldies. I hate it when an insect flies into my helmet. I can feel it crawling on my head. With this skull cap, you can't feel them!

After last weeks massive ride it was nice to scale down to a sensible not quite 50 miles. To celebrate the fact Richard G asked that the original route was extended a little...then Richard couldn't make it. No word from him yet I hope he's okay.

So after a brief banana break under the famous Harringworth viaduct we headed up the hill to Gretton. After that we did Rockingham hill and just so we paid the complete tax of fools we headed down to Cottingham and back up school hill! My legs were broken after that but it was only a short ride to the coffee stop at the Fox and Peony.

Due to Graham and Mark setting the pace we were there for ages before the other groups arrived. The sausage and bacon bap was top quality. I'd also managed to drink both bottles to prevent dehydration this week.

A big shout out to another couple of cycling friends. I have massive cycling envy for Hans Van Nierop's current adventures in the alps. A bit like Sarah and Steve a few weeks back there are daily pictures of epic climbs on mountains that feature in the Tour de France.

Then taking it to another level is Steve Coombs. He's cureently in an off road MTB race from Belgium to the Pyrenees, through rural France, with a maximum 14.5 days allowed to reach the complete the 1400 miles. It's a self supported ride, no assistance or prearranged accommodation is allowed. I'm looking forward to the pictures and the full story.

Happy Pedalling