When September ends...

In this most bizarre of years we have hurtled through September and next week it’s already October! I’ve had a good month on the bike, completing the 300 miles for Cancer research. I’ve also had plenty of runs and dog walks too. I didn’t blog last weekend because I needed a rest! However I’m back on it and there’s plenty to talk about!

Getting out in the morning before work is still possible for a few more weeks. The light is going but...those sunrises...just worth getting up for! I’ll just let the pictures do the talking.

Near Harrington

Heading towards Draughton from Maidwell

Harrington airfield memorial

Heading into Loddington

The next day I put my Lezyne micro gps on and took it for its last run. The erratic piece of technology managed to not find a gps signal and the run was recorded on my phone...enough! David Hill on Corby Capers advertised his Garmin forerunner and I bought it off him. He described it as in good condition and he certainly wasn’t wrong. I got a bargain, David, as I understand has upgraded to a Fenix so I got a new gadget and he got a stunning watch to replace a good watch!

I’ve instantly fallen in love with this watch because unlike the Lezyne it’s an everyday fitness tracker smart watch. It’s got sleep, heart rate and loads of other geeky data stuff which floats my techno nerd boat!

Another early morning ride and of course more sunrises. This is when I noticed really heavy legs and wondered if I was overdoing it?

The next day I went for a run and my legs were even heavier! More sunrises though... I didn’t feel right but it wasn’t unpleasant, I just needed to plod and not expect too much!

Then it was the weekend. I didn’t feel like a group ride so I didn’t meet the cyclasylum riders for the first Saturday in ages. I did go out for an explore on my MTB trying to find the Rothwell gullet https://www.wildlifebcn.org/nature-reserves/rothwell-gullet I know where it is but couldn’t find how to get there, got lost, probably trespassing and got massively stung by nettles! My legs had no oomph at all and I knew I’d made a good decision to miss the group ride and an even better decision not to go to the peaks with them the next day. Instead I went fishing at Andy’s house. I think I saw the osprey but It could just have been a very grey buzzard...just like red kites, I didn’t get a great picture!!!

By Tuesday this week my legs were feeling recovered and I headed out for my standard 17 mile morning ride. I had a lovely ride and things were going really well as I headed into the last couple of miles. 

Probably because I was busy taking in the sunrise and misty valleys, I completely didn’t see a pothole in the road. My front wheel whacked into it hard and my tubeless tyre failed. I was able to get enough pressure in to get home but it was weird. That night I tried to fix the issue as there was no obvious damage. During the repair I had a lovely surprise as Mrs L handed me a parcel and said: “will this help?” I unwrapped a lifeline tubeless track pump...oh my goodness this is a lot less effort than my Heath Robinson lemonade bottle device! However, under pressure my tyre just sprayed sealant across the garden so clearly it’s time was up. I put a tube in and ordered a new tyre.

On Wednesday I went for a run in the rain. This felt stronger too so clearly the rest did me good. It was also the first run tracked on my Garmin forerunner...way easier than the Lezyne in every way!

On Thursday it was freezing! So for the first time this year I rode in full fingered gloves as opposed to cycling mitts. I didn’t take pictures because it’s harder in gloves but despite the cold this was a nice spin.

On Friday my new tyre arrived. With the help of my new pump I managed to fit this whilst cooking tea! Who says men can’t multitask? It took ten minutes, went up first time and has stayed that way since! Just goes to show, the right tyre on a well set up wheel with the right pump, makes tubeless easy!!! I also used another gadget bought this year. The kenwood chef food processor attachment made these chicken burgers from Joe Wickes book, really easy to make. 

So to Saturday and a proper bike ride! I was wide awake by 5am clearly not wanting to waste the weekend! I didn’t want to arrive for a group ride with an untested new tyre so I opted for a late early birds and took an 11 mile route to meet the cyclasylum at Kettering swimming pool. It was even colder than Thursday so for the first time since April I was in a winter jersey, leg warmers, winter boots, full gloves and had a buff round my neck! That was only just warm enough until I’d done a few hills.

I made it in time for normal birds but hilariously the actual early birds were almost late! The usual banter lantern was lit and of most note was Amy’s stunning new Giant Propel, officially the nicest bikes money can buy (what do you mean I’m biased?) For reasons best known to no one, Amy’s propel is fitted with a dork disc...sort that out please Marcus!!!

Ignore the dork disc, this bike is stunning

Thankfully that rapid steed headed out in group one with Graham and his equally stunning trek. The four other riders in that socially distanced six apparently took quite a beasting. I joined a more sedate six as we headed out into the wind and hills of the Welland valley.

The cold weather was affecting middle aged bladders and soon into the ride we had our first comfort break. At that stop Mark realised he’d forgotten his drink which led to a conversation about all the things we have forgotten. Ian won with his tale of arriving for a ride without a helmet. The best bit was the recollection of being asked where his helmet was and actually checking his head! 

We tried and failed not to be menaces at the shop where Mark spent about twenty minutes buying a bottle of water. For ten of those minutes we froze in the shade before Neil expertly realised we’d be warmer over the road in the sun. We were also out of the way of everyone who needed to drive round the corner to their local shop.

Despite being cold, it was a stunning day to look at. The Welland valley From vantage points such as Ashley Hill or Neville Holt was just beautiful. This was worth the ride on its own.

My own personal performance was bizarre. On some hills I was near the back as usual but for some my legs felt great and I blasted up.

I had decided to leave the ride as it passed my house but I felt great and was on 47 miles...a silly number so with the others I headed out of Rothwell and even tried to beat my PR on bunker hill. When we got to the Fox and Peony, group 1 were just finishing up. As ever we enjoyed some quality recovery food. 

Today I headed out to complete the September 300 for cancer research.

I opted to use my Forme Calver CX bike and in full winter kit again I set out with nothing more than a vague plan to do 20 mostly off road miles.

I headed to Loddington and then onto the byways and bridelways between Cransley and Mawsley.

It was nice out and despite a cold wind I was soon having a lovely time. It might be winter weather but the trails are still in a hard dry summer condition.

From Mawsley I headed over the bridleways to Lamport and then down to the Brampton Valley Way.

I took the shared use former train line through the Kelmarsh tunnel and onto Arthingworth.

From there I cut across to Harrington on more very ridable bridleways. 

I've mentioned this interesting feature before. These earthworks at Harrington are the remains of the formal gardens and earthworks which belonged to the Manor House. The house itself was demolished in the 18th century.

I haven't said anything about coaching so far. Due to work issues I assisted Andy B in a good session last Monday. This week we are having a race night. I hope the weather stays dry because it should be a real fun evening. 

In wider news the World championships have been fascinating. The Dutch women's team have doninated and should be overjoyed with their results. G got close in the TT and at time of writing Tom Pidcock is battling hard in the road race. Pogacar has just tore off the front with the might of Belgium 🇧🇪 leading the chase. Great racing!

Happy Pedalling

 

 

Just a fabulous week of cycling in the late Summer sun!

That has to be one of the best weeks this year for cycling and a few other reasons. I've coached, got out on my own in the week, had a groupride on the road and another off road. Somehow I also managed to get a run in too! I'm exhausted...but in a good way!

I didn't blog last week due to preparing for an interview on Monday. For the same reason I opted out of the 100km fondo ride with cyclasylum and instead joined the shorter ride.

Mark Skinner and I met up at Rushton Hall and were joined by another Mark, Marcus, Mike, Ian and Big Richard. This will start a series of calamities from me...I forgot my phone...I hadn't downloaded the route to my wahoo. No one else had the route. I could kind of remember it so ended up leading the group through the Welland valley. It worked out! We had a great ride and I was home early on. 

On Monday I got the job! Not a promotion but an excellent chance to manage some different teams and also, as its based in Kettering, to maintain the work/balance I've enjoyed recently.

To celebrate I led the cyclones in a hill climbing session. I was ably supported by Charlie as usual and the parents did a good job marshalling so we could stay safe. The kids did hill repeat races near Harrington. It's a tough hill. They were brilliant, such good attitudes, a joy to coach. It was the perfect end to a great day!

On Thursday morning I woke up and looked out of the window. It looked like a lovely morning and it felt like a waste not to go for a ride. So I did! A great way to start the day.

After a successful but tiring week at work I really needed my Saturday ride with the Cyclasylum. I wanted to do my fondo this week having missed out the week before. I considered joining the early birds at 7am but decided against it. I headed out for my own late early birds to get some extra miles in before joining the group but realised I'd forgotten that magic magnesium so came home. I then set off for a reduced later late early birds only to realise at the top of bunker hill that I'd forgotten my drinks!!!! So home again and then I only just made it to Kettering in time for the regular ride. Perhaps we should call that 'normal birds!' I do worry about me sometimes!!!

We had two groups this week and I opted for group two which looked less 'keen.' Just to keep the bird thing going I decided to race Amy Bird for village signs. Because youth and talent are no match for experience and treachery, I quickly held a 5 nil lead. This was mostly because I took 5 signs before announcing the competition!

After that I only took one more sign off the impressive youngster who just marked me and then destroyed me!!! This meant I spent a long time on the front and kept putting myself in the red for sprints. So by the time we made it to the coffee stop I was pretty wrecked despite taking my magnesium, drinking well and keeping my carbs up with jelly babies. The other thing of note was that we nearly got wiped out by dogs running across the road at Yelden. 

The Old Forge Tea Room was busy but well set up when we arrived. Group 1 were there but still waiting for food and drinks. Andy had booked which was good because people were turned away.

The food was top notch. I had a high quality sausage and bacon sandwich. The cakes looked good too.

The route finished at the cafe, leaving us free to pick our own direction home. Most of us headed to Grafton crossroads before going separate ways. Big Richard and I rode together back to Rothwell at a more sedate pace than earlier. We had a great chat though, putting the world to rights. He is great company!

Today we met up in a group of 7 for a long overdue off road ride. The plan was 33 miles so I felt an extra 10 to and from Geddington would be manageable. My legs felt tight as I set off but soon loosened up.

For some reason we met at the Ford and not the cross and then headed to Geddington chase. That glorious bit of downhill was dry and fast. Possibly the best I've seen it. The ride group today was Andy, Mark C, Marcus, Graham, Paul and Uncle Bob.

Paul started having tubeless issues so we all stopped to offer helpful advice which of course came by the way of unhelpful barely friendly banter!

We made our way over great gravel roads and not so great rutted fields and eventually arrived at Lievden New Bield. Where Andy took the usual photo.

From there it was through some great bridleways heading towards Aldwinkle but not getting there. I loved the downhill section. It was sketchy in places which adds to fun! At the bottom Paul gave up on his dodgy tubeless and took the short trip home. We headed back up a hill and 20 miles into my ride...my legs went wobbly. I'd had my banana 🍌 but I was also really hungry! This came and went for the rest of the ride but generally got worse.

Andy's sponsored Hope socks deserve a mention

We ended up on the trails between Thrapston and Stanwick lakes which was good for me as they're flat. It was busy with joggers, dog walkers and other bikes. 

Eventually though we headed uphill through Little Addington. My legs died again! I trudged on until we got to the A510. I was cursing myself for not packing some food. I could've murdered a Mars bar! 

On the road we passed the impressive round house. I featured this in a blog a few years back. That's long forgotten so I'll share this link again which explains what the building is about. Roundhouse Farm

Andy left us to hurry home for a family lunch. We were soon all cursing him as we crossed an oppressive ploughed field. My hand cramped from being smashed around.

It was a relief to make the other side. From there we headed to Cranford and into Kettering. I just wanted to get home by the shortest route. I said my goodbyes and headed to Warkton. I was so tired I didn't enjoy the trails through Weekly Glebe and onto Weekly Woods. It was tough just to keep turning the peddles and a massive relief to get home. To recover, I inhaled about ten maryland cookies 🍪 and a pint of milk. My best guess on all of that is I depleted my leg energy the day before and just needed to fuel better today...maybe I should also stop trying to outsprint teenagers!

In other news...how good is this Tour de France? Possibly the best one in years.

Happy Pedalling 

Storm Francis, lights, winter jersey...is summer over?

Its not unusual for the UK weather to let us all down and bank holidays it seems are often a disappointment. But on August 29th...I have lit the log burner!!!

Despite this, there have been breaks in the rain and the wind has dropped to 'safe to ride,' even if it remains hard work. My cycling week has been a really good mix.

On Monday we decided to run a cyclones coaching session. The week before we cancelled, based on the weather forecast and a fine evening made a fool of us all. The forecast was dodgy again this week but we risked it and once again it was a fine evening. I love coaching these kids. I also had some off road fun of my own. On the way home I needed my lights for the first time in a long time. Winter is coming!

On Wednesday, my son Sam and I headed to the Rockingham Forest Wheelers clubhouse for the short course TT dash. This is a real fun event from Ashley back to Middleton. With an easy course to navigate, Sam allowed me to also take part. We both did our best but having not practised this it was difficult to know how to approach it. I just rode as fast as I could until I ran out of steam. Then I eased off for a bit before going all out again for the finish. Sam held back for a planned sprint finish and then didn't realise where the finish was! Every day is a school day!!!

I only managed one run this week. My slow splashy effort on Friday was strangely therapeutic. Sometimes all you need to do is find a rhythm.

I woke up on Saturday morning to a damp, cold and breezy day. This was not summer at all. It was more like November. Has August 2020 just given up? I opted for a winter jersey and didn't regret it once! 

A smaller group than usual met at the swimming pool and we opted for one group of 6 plus some! Our first destination was St. Mary's Road where Kettering Borough Council have installed a bike lane. Frankly I think its a half arsed token gesture. The road is also a lumpy bumpy mess! What do these bollards that apparently cost £20k achieve? To me they say to cars...just pass us with one bollard width to spare and don't worry we'll ride in the gutter! Muppets.

My bike was rattling like crazy and I couldn't figure out why. Then I saw my stem cap jump and I realised the bolt was very loose. Well that was a relief, like most cyclists I obsess about squeaks and rattles and then panic that an expensive repair is required!

As ever Graham set a good pace on the front and we all tried to hang on. If we thought we were going fast Bairdy, Neil Hickford and the rest of Veloelite came past at an impressive pace.

The ride seemed to go quite quickly despite a testing wind. I felt great at 30 miles but was starting to fade at 40. As we headed towards the coffee stop in Woodford we started to notice wool decorations everywhere.

I stopped to enquire what was going on and a local lady told me: "we should've done this at feast time but because of the 'carry on,' we decided to do it now!" Only in Northants would someone describing a global pandemic as a 'carry on.'

I have no idea when feast time is but this seems like a lovely local tradition. Thankfully they don't appear to feast on inquisitive cyclists.

At the coffee stop it was the usual banter. Mark has some unusual advice for getting rid of wasps. His poxy plan is to clap at them...we tried, it didn't seem to work. 

Today's venue was the Grain store coffee house. I can't resist a dirty chai little and decided I'd earned a bumper breakfast sandwich. I didn't think of taking a picture until too late!

As we set off I felt completely rubbish. I'm never as good after a break and wonder if I should start giving the cafe stop a miss. At this stage I realised that I didn't have my glasses! I put the group out of its misery of waiting for me by heading home via Grafton Underwood. Justin came with me to the crossroads and then I headed on solo to Geddington. Because I could I took the offroad shortcut through Weekly Woods.

Mrs L and I headed back to the Grain Store Coffee House where we found my glasses in the bush that my bike had fallen over in. I treated the queen of cakes to a cream tea and because it would be rude not to, I had another dirty chai. Then we went for another look at those wonderful wooly creations.

On Sunday morning I needed a light ride and that's what I got. In aid of Cransley Hospice the KCC Cyclones held a cycling treasure hunt. We started at Kettering Rugby Club and the first obstacle was a locked gate. It was sorted after a few phone calls. The clues were provided by club chairman Roger Reed. Some great features such as the Grafton Underwood Church stained glass window, the war memorial nearby and the Eleanor Cross at Geddington. All things that have featured in this blog before.

I took my Forme Calver cyclocross bike out for the first time in ages and initially it felt weird. Knobbly tyres at 30psi are very different to my road set up. However I wanted to mix it up a bit with some off road fun thrown in. As I got used to it again I remembered what a fun bike it is!

It was a great little loop for the kids and then I was free for some off road fun back through Weekly Glebe, Weekly woods and the track to Rushton. 

Today (Bank holiday Monday,) it was time for another group ride with the Cyclasylum. Due to everyone's commitments we decided on an early start time of 7.30am. Some of the group have been doing this anyway in an 'early birds,' ride. Today Steve Minney met us at the swimming pool but had already done his ride, making him an 'early, early bird!' Anything goes, we are a tolerant bunch. In fact the only thing we won't tolerate is intolerance and probably baggy shorts on a road bike. Also I was the first to arrive, which is a first and very unnerving! I wondered if a secret message group had arranged a different ride. Eventually Andy, Mark, Marcus, Ian and Mike arrived. We picked Pete up at the top of the hill on Arthingworth Road.

At this stage I should mention the weather. It was cold! I had my winter jersey on again. However we also had the lightest winds I can remember for a ride. 

As we left Kettering I got ahead of the group on the downhill and was determined not to get passed by everyone as I headed towards Loddington. As I headed up the hill I was feeling good as no one passed me. Then I looked over my shoulder and no one was there! I looked down at my Wahoo and I was off route! What a prize plum. I cut across from Thorpe Malsor and then up the bumps to Loddington where everyone was waiting for me and as you can imagine, much mockery occurred! 

This is the downside of having a GPS device. I've stopped checking out the route. Someone posts it, I download it and then I follow it! Before I'd memorise the route and know where I was going!!! 

This was an Andy P special. We sought out every hill and after an hour I'd done 17 miles over 1000ft and I was only 2 miles from home!

At Welford, Marcus left us and Heather joined us at the exact same junction. This seamless substitution was completely unplanned. It was great to see Heather though!

For bits of this ride I managed to get on the front. That's because in between the hills Andy had put in some fast flat bits. I especially enjoyed the stretch from Naseby through Sibbertoft and onto Welford and then again into Long Buckby before the hill!

There was a nice fast rolling section again to Holdenby before significant climbs up to Spratton and again to Brixworth.

At Brixworth we were rewarded with a coffee break at The Workhouse. I enjoyed a lovely golden chai latte and some Twix tiffin. 

From there I stayed with the group until Old and made my own way home via Harrington.

Northamptonshire does not have the stunning scenery of other areas. However our rolling hills are very pleasant. This route showcased that perfectly.

In other news I need to give a big shout out to my cycling friend Clint Boodhist. After an already epic year, Clint and fellow superhuman Emily Campbell, completed a 24 hour 300 mile ride! Chapeau you two!!!

It's also great to see the Tour de France 🇫🇷 has started. So far its been a thoroughly enjoyable race. In weird old 2020 it feels like this is the most open race ever.

Well that was a great week.

Happy Pedalling