Off Road and Road Rides to end my Easter Break

Easter week has been a bit of a washout but I still managed to get out on the bike a couple of times. I also attempted some challenges on the rollers on one of those wet days!

On Wednesday we were planning to have a club ride but everyone's appetite for riding in the rain was diminished. So instead o going out I got on my rollers. SuperSam manned the video camera and we got some footage of me practising jacket on and off whilst riding no handed. I'm really not the most skilled rider so it surprises me I can do this. Not on video is my failed attempt at the Rochelle Gilmore inner tube trick. Since my attempt though I've watched the video again and I think I can do it! 

So watch this space, I may have a video of this challenge soon! I suggested to Nat that I should really rise to the occasion and get the team Wiggle Honda Kit and a ponytail wig. Her verdict: "please don't!"

On Thursday there was a club road ride but I had promised Sam and his friend a trip to Wakerley to try out the Scar Tree Trail. I was hoping that a lovely day would dry out the trail and although it was certainly better than recently it was still a little too slippy to really enjoy!

Sam always like to end a lap with the skid challenge. You take the unofficial jump and then leave as big a trail as possible in the car park. I tried my skid but the back brake just would not lock, leaving me feeling quite disappointed. So I did what all good cyclists know is a mistake. I fiddled with it and ended up losing brake fluid and making it worse!

Despite my brake woes I still did another couple of laps with the boys. It was a very enjoyable day out and having paid for adrenaline alley earlier in the week they appreciated that fun can also be had for free!

SuperSam was on my old Focus 29r and found those huge wheels both challenging an good fun in equal measure. He was amazed at how easy he could roll over things but also (like me actually,) was less keen on the twisty turny climb of Cardiac Hill.

So what did I do about that brake problem? Well I did the best thing I could and messaged Andy at C&D Cycles. Within a day I had my brakes back to tip top order with new pads and the line bled with new fluid. Andy is also concerned I may have a small leak which may have caused the problem in the first place and has ordered the part to be on the safe side. Once again I am spoilt by magnificent service.

I didn't ride on Saturday because we went to Conflict Paintball at Grendon Lakes, for Sam's 13th birthday. It also meant I missed the Saints v Saracens match, for which, given another appalling performance, I'm very pleased about! Paintball is a really good activity to take a bunch of 13 year old boys too, especially if they're sleeping over the same day. A fantastic day left the lads absolutely shattered and they actually slept really well (not my previous experience of poorly named sleepovers.) It's not the cheapest of activities but I'd won six places in a raffle organised by a work colleague who is suffering from breast cancer. In addition to several other birthday groups there was a small group of 'walk-ons.' These are paint ball enthusiasts with their own kit who play regularly and are always looking for practise. Just like us enthusiastic cyclists they had a load of impressive equipment which looked very expensive!

That brings us to today. I met up at C&D Cycles with Nat, Andy P and Ben. Only four of us this week but the club had done a 100km ride the day before and the weather looked iffy so it was no surprise to see a smaller group. Before we set off Andy checked 'bum-cam,' his impressive backwards facing go-pro. I hadn't brought my Garmin Virb because it was charging in the room where all those teenage boys slept soundly!

Nat had used the 'out an back ,' function on her Garmin and had two routes. A flat one or one that she called a 'bit of climbing,' only 'short sharp climbs.' Yes well we ride in Northants so a climb of over a minute is long for us! Also the route took us out to Rutland and into Leicestershire where the lumps and bumps are!

Out on the road, it turned out that Ben was a fellow Northampton Saints sufferer. We had a good chat about this car crash of a season and our hopes for better things! Enough of all that egg chasing though! 

Our route took us out to the famous viaduct at Harringworth which featured on Top Gear recently. It's a great ride there from the Airfield at Spanhoe down a very fast hill. Going out though there is the nastiest sharp climb up to Seaton.

Thanks to Nat's Garmin I went to some places that I'd not ridden before. There's just so many good road cycling roads around here and even though it was a horrible soggy day again it was an absolute pleasure to ride.

For those reasons it's no surprise that planned cycling routes and  places like Cafe Ventoux are nearby (never been, not heard the best reviews, it is however very popular.) 

I'm really not sure what's got into my legs but once again I really enjoyed the hills today. I did allow Andy to pass me occasionally though so that I got caught by bum cam. I'm looking forward to those pictures later. After all that grinding in the granny ring it was nice when we got a good fast rolling piece of road. The blast from Alexton to Hallaton absolutely made my day. It did get the usual requests to fit mudguards but I'm never ever doing that to my beautiful Giant Propel!

The route looped back round to Rushton so I went home from there rather than head back to Kettering. We did a little more than 50 miles and my legs definitely know they had a bike ride today! That's good because I have a feeling that our 100km off road ride in the Cotswolds next week will have some proper hills on it!

Whilst I've been writing this I watched Paris-Roubaix, the best one day bike race in the world. Having discussed Sagan out on the ride (Ben works for one of his sponsors,) it was no surprise that the world champion has finally won a famous cobble trophy.

That's it then. Back to work next week, so time to re-focus on the diet and the early morning roller sessions. This great week of cycling has also really made a dent in my #NHS1000miles .

Happy Pedalling

Eggstravagant Easter of Cycling

I don't know where to start really. This weekend I have had three absolutely brilliant club rides with C&D Cycles Cycling Club. A nice 30 on Good Friday, my best ride in like forever on Easter Sunday and a challenge with mother nature on Easter Monday. In between there's been great times with friends, a splendid family meal and of course a lot of muddy dog walks. Right now, after 140 miles in 4 days, I'm officially out on my legs and feeling quite pleased with the achievement.

The first thing to say about this Easter is that the weather has been rubbish! However there have been windows of opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors. This time last year we were in Queensland, Australia...where the weather was worse! We were in the paradise that is Noosa, being battered by the aftermath (not the actual full storm,) of cyclone Debbie. I have never seen wind and rain like it. By contrast our Easter has just been a bit annoyingly damp! Of course the day after in Oz was back to glorious weather. I got chatting to Neil and he has just comeback from my favourite place on the planet, so at least I had someone to talk to who knew what I was missing!

The ferry to Straddie in 2014

The day after the storm in Noosa, Easter 2017

Foggy, soggy Northants!

The pictures just kind of sum up the damp, dull, grey day. Our spirits, by contrast were very bright indeed. Special mention should go to Richard Golding at this stage for what might be the best banter ever heard on a ride. Quite an accolade given the stiff competition from our perpetual outpourings of nonsense. I will not reveal the full content of the conversation because it belongs to the group. However for those who know...the clue is in my ride name!

The ride route was a regular that dates back to the start of the club in 2013 and is known as Pitsford reverse due to crossing the causeway over Pitsford reservoir. For me it was ideal as I had plenty to do that day and it goes back to Kettering through Rothwell. Due to low temperatures we were all kitted out in full winter gear. I had base layers, my winter jersey, a buff, my long serving full fingered gloves, my fabulous Endura winter tights (extra padding for my old knees,) and overshoes. I looked at all my kit and it's getting very tatty. My gloves have holes in the fingers which are handy for smart phone use but not for numb finger prevention, my overshoes are hanging on by a thread and the tights have lost all of their reflective branding. I know where my birthday money is going next winter! I can't complain though, all of that stuff has done 1000s of miles and was well worth the investment. You can see from the pictures that most of us were kitted out in similar winter layers, however, one rider, Ashley, had let youthful exuberance get the better of him and was in shorts! This is possibly why the 19 year old expert of all things concentric, struggled to keep up with us old men towards the end of the ride!

On Mill Lane, a lovely cycling road, we bumped into clubmate Marcus who was out with his daughter (I wish Niamh would try cycling, I think she'd be excellent.) Marcus is recovering from a nasty injury so it was great to see him on his bike. What a bike it was too! That classic Giant MTB with 26" wheels, deserves a lot of love.

Route highlights for me are the fast drag from Litle Harrowden to Sywell along the intriguingly named 'Moonshine Gap.' The climb up from the causeway is good and the fast run back into Rothwell from Harrington. This was a splendid start to my cycling Easter in some great company. Too many names to mention as there was a really good turnout.

On Easter Sunday, appropriately April fools day, another large group gathered at C&D Cycles, this time for a 50 miler led by the First Lady of C&D, Nat. There were again too many names to mention. Many who'd ridden on Friday but also some of my best riding buddies and the man who started it all, Andy Ferguson. There were many other groups out and a shout out goes to Ian Bird and the KCC social ride who cheerfully greeted me from their bustop meeting point!

One of the aims of the day was to get Andre home by 12.41 due to family commitments. I think his impression of Morph's luminous green brother just made him more aero and therefore more committed to the task.

We headed out on Kettering's infamous Deeble Road where something strange began to unfold. I was first to the top of the hill. "This can't last,"I thought. It did though. I felt fantastic out on the bike and really enjoyed the hills! We all get days like this on the bike but I'd come out just hoping to keep up. My only explanation is that I've been very focused on my diet and I've been working out on the rollers as often as possible. Accusations of EPO abuse or having a few puffs too many of my wife's inhalers are just fake news!

The route was first class. It's the end of the county I don't know as well and we ended up in Cambridgeshire at times. Halfway was Kimbolton school after the usual leafy lanes and picture postcard villages. 

The road above, heading to Raunds, sums up what road cycling in Northamptonshire is like. We have lots of quiet lanes like this. They can be lovely to ride on but also, due to the harsh winter they are also an absolute mess with cracked surfaces and potholes. We try to help each other as best we can, calling out and pointing to the rider behind. Sometimes though it would be easier to point out the good bits! Despite all that, it's still great fun and as Mike in the picture above stated: "highly addictive!"

The banter on the ride was once again first class and then more unexpected fun. Andy, Mark and I began to reminisce about 80's and 90's television. Great shows such as the A-Team, Thundercats, Knight Rider, The Professionals, Jamie and His Magic Torch etc...I have no idea what anyone thought as we sang the theme tune to shows like The Littlest Hobo! 

I just had to stop to take a picture of the river crossing between Lilford and Pilton. Moments before we'd tried our best to slowly and quietly pass a horse who really didn't like cyclists. Then this scene unfolded with a river overflowing its banks already and more rain to come! You wait until you see Monday's pictures!

This selfie is at the top of the hill coming away from the flood. More groups of cyclists went past. Andre was well on track to get home in time!

So many things happened on this club ride. The most important part of which is that we had a really great time and enjoyed an excellent route. We all learned a new way of measuring gloves from Andy who is keen to find me some suitable replacements for my holey favourites. 

I left the group at Warkton to head home. I realised I was close to 100km and therefore had nearly completed the Strava Gran Fondo for April on the very first day. So I headed to Geddington for a few extra miles. On the way I encountered a lady litter picking in the hedgerow. As this is a subject I care about deeply, I stopped for a chat. She regularly sorts the hedgerows out near her home. I find it so sad that we have beautiful countryside that others disrespect. However I find it incredibly encouraging that others are so willing to sort out a mess they haven't made! There's even a growing sport of "Plogging," where runners go out with the aim of filling a bag with plastic based rubbish. Again I thought of Australia where litter just isn't tolerated and you will barely see any mess.

I arrived home in plenty of time with the 100km Fondo in the bag. Then it was time to head to my parents for the best Sunday Lunch in the world. Unfortunately my grandparents are ill so we didn't have all four generations there. It was good to have a couple of my Dad's 'recovery,' ciders too!

The original plan for Easter Monday was to meet at 9am for another 30ish miles social ride. However it was pouring with rain so we swapped to an afternoon ride planned by Andy P. The rain had stopped but there was a lot of standing water on the roads and some very tricky bits to get through.

This was just one of several flooded bits of road we had to get through. The secret is not to get your feet wet but to go through slowly enough that any hidden potholes are not hit with a massive cerchunk! No potholes were hit, however some feet did get wet!!!

I decided to set my Forme Longcliffe back up for me today because I didn't want to risk carbon fibre and nice wheels on these conditions. I also decided to stop using my phone for pics and return to the convenience of my Gramin Virb. The first shot was of Geddington as I rode to join the rest of the group in Grafton Underwood.

Justin caught me up on the way to Grafton. I wasn't moving very quickly as my legs were very tight from the day before. They picked up a bit during the ride but I had nothing like the previous day's power. We met up with another very respectable sized group, especially for the conditions. It was also very good to see Glynn out on a bike for the first time in a very long time. The last time I'd seen him was at the MTB race where I broke my wrist as he was taking pics of the race. We passed that field near Wadenhoe, on another journey through the East of the county.

Grey Day

The club has one rule. It's called rule one! Rule one is that no one gets left behind. Si, pictured above, is just starting out on his cycling adventure and as yet hasn't got his cycling legs. He did massively well to stay with the group and showed real determination on the tough climbs up the Brigstock Bumps and the long grind through Southwick and onto Bulwick. For most of us, helping newbies is just as important as making our own progress, that and an initiation into the world of cycling banter!

More Floods

Despite the wet roads the rain held off. The buzzards and Red Kites were out and I tried my best to get an image of those magnificent birds, especially as we had a very low fly over from a kite at Bulwick. However, even with the virb and the fact they are massive, a good image of a kite whilst riding still eludes me. 

As we got back to Grafton the group splintered as we all headed home. Justin, Rob, Ashley and I headed back towards Geddington and Andy back to Thrapston. Ian and Glynn made sure Si got safely back to Kettering. My legs were absolutely ruined. That social thirty was turning into a 50 miler! It was only a few miles home but on my own I would have found it tough. However Justin and Ashley (in better clothing today, that's him on the left,) led the way to Geddington and I hung onto their wheel. Then after Justin left us, Rob powered us on through Newton and onto Rushton, all I could do was keep up. thanks to their help I was soon home though!

I've mentioned before that this blog gets like Bridget Jones diary at times. Since Christmas, the Queen of Cakes and I have shifted some serious lard with the help of MyFitnessPal. However this weekend we took a break from all the clean eating and calorie counting. We came home from my Mum's on Sunday with some of her magnificent carrot cake and this was just the recovery food I needed. Cycling and cake go together very well and as we all know, if you've done the miles you can have the good stuff. I washed this down with a new favourite beer and something I intend of trying to make myself. Until then, 'Spill the Beans,' coffee porter is only 99p fom Aldi (other budget supermarkets are available!)

I'm lucky enough to have the rest of the week off. No cycling for a couple of days though because these legs need a rest! Sam is 13 on Friday and I'm hoping we can get a MTB blast around Wakerley Woods in on Thursday. No club ride for me this Saturday because we're going paintballing which will be great fun!

Many of you know that I'm a Nurse and very proud of both my profession and the NHS. Our National Health Service is 70 years old this year and as well as providing my career I have much to be thankful for. Cancer, heart disease, elderly grandparents and our children have kept the NHS very busy. I should also mention that I've definitely had my money's worth from the Emergency Department (formerly known as A&E.) To mark the 70 years many of us are taking part in #NHS1000miles. It's not that big a challenge for Lycra Loonies like us so I'm not counting my cycling miles just the steps that my fitbit records. For both cycling and fitbit I'm on 670 miles for the year so far, so my 1000 miles will be done before we're halfway through the year. Cycling will overtake the steps now and I'm hoping for around 4000 miles on the bike this year. To keep things going I'm going to have to work something out, like trying to do 1000 miles on the MTB. The Facebook page is fantastic with people posting pictures from all around the country of great places to run, walk, ride, swim or paddle! It also has a lot of great pictures of people out and about with their four legged friends.

My four legged friends!

One of my favourite Sportive/Charity rides is Cycle for Cynthia, in aid of Cynthia Spencer Hospice in Northampton and MacMillan Cancer Support. As I mentioned we've had a lot of cancer to deal with as a family and taking part makes it feel as if I'm doing my bit to help. Kettering has a sister unit to Cynthia Spencer in the form of Cransley Hospice. These are amazing facilities that support cancer sufferers and their family through the last days of the battle with this hideous disease. When I'm working in Kettering my office overlooks Cransley Hospice. Funding has been very difficult for the hospices recently as the NHS has felt the pinch of austerity. They need every penny to keep their vital services running! So this bit makes me very proud as we are having a Cycle for Cransley sportive on June 17th. The event is sponsored by KLM taxis, owned by our good cycling friend Mike Deely and will be supported by C&D Cycles. We've had a sneak peak at the 50 mile route and I can tell you it will be a very nice ride, there's also shorter distances so that everyone can get involved. Massive kudos to both Mike and Andy for their efforts with this event. I'm hoping to support in any way possible and hopefully to raise a lot of money for this great cause. 

Finally it's time to put an argument to bed. A phrase we all know and understand is: "There's no need to re-invent the wheel." I think if this was true, instead of riding on glorious steeds of carbon or lightweight aluminium' we'd still be on something like this:

Here's a good article I found all about reinventing the wheel. So that's it, the argument is settled...oh okay, it probably rages on!

I think that's enough for now. I've loved my Easter of cycling and I'm looking forward to warmer drier conditions and a lot more miles!

Happy Pedalling!!!

Out with the old, out with the new and out on my own!!!

Having not quite had enough to blog about last week, this week it feels like I've got too much. I've got the ride around the Leicester circuit with KCC Cyclones, a lovely return to the Saturday club/shop ride with C&D Cycles CC and a bit of solo off road action. In addition there's an update on SuperSam and I and the early morning indoor training AND a lovely find on YouTube regarding the rivalry between Chris Boardman and Graeme Obree. Best get on with it!

On Friday 16th March we headed to Leicester with the KCC Cyclones for a whizz around the circuit at New College newcollege/ccircuit/ It had been a lovely warm day with beautiful Spring sunshine. So of course at 7pm the weather had turned and we were freezing our socks off. Earlier in the week I had enquired if "extra help," would be required from the parents? As the answer was yes I loaded my bike on the car too! Like most people attending this venue, even though we'd been there before we allowed ourselves to be fooled by satnav and got a little bit lost. I worked it out but then we passed Eddie and Ken going the wrong way too. Ken would get his revenge on me (in the very next paragraph,) for figuring it out quicker!

Once parked up there were some technical issues which took me from hero to zero in short order. First of all there was a Cyclone frustrating their parents by creating a flat tyre. He'd decided to try and pump his tyres up to max pressure with a hand pump. Inevitably he cracked the valve stem and it was time for a tube change. Then the frustrated Dad snapped a tyre lever trying to get a VERY tight tube off. I came to the rescue with my well practised levers (I mean who has more punctures than me?) I'd also remembered my Scout motto and was super prepared with track pump and spare tubes (long valve as their spare was also too short.) All very ironic given that I was on my very well set up tubeless tyres. Hero status was however short lived as another cyclone asked me to help with their brakes. The cyclones have loan bikes which come with on and off road set ups. The brakes are cantilever and I find them very pesky. The cable either slots back in first time or its hours of fiddling. After a failed few unsuccessful minutes I conceded defeat and let Ken have a go. As predicted the ridiculous contraption went back together incredibly easily for him at first attempt.

one of those annoying things

Once the technical things were sorted I helped out with Brian's group of the older kids. They had a great session and Brian should know that Sam said the following:

"I like Brian as a coach, he really knows how to encourage everybody!" The kids did really well to ride with determination on a freezing cold night.

By Monday night wintry conditions had once again set in and the regular cyclones sessions were cancelled. Sam and I continued with our early morning indoor training sessions. Sam now fits on my road bikes and therefore I've set him up on the ever dependent 'Clive.' Strava shows that I've done over 14 000km on that bike. Sam continues to use the GCN training videos on the turbo and I'm making it up as I go along on the rollers. 

Clive needs new bar tape...I tried to clean it...it's impossible!!!

I like to do some intervals and also some longer sessions at a set pace. I mix these up by practising no handed which after a couple of days of losing this skill it's inexplicably back better than ever. I'd been trying things out like taking things out of my back pockets and taking selfies. Then I went one further to see if I could get a rain jacket from my jersey pocket, put it on and take it off and then away in a jersey pocket. It turns out I can! Next time I'm going to try the trick below.

Yesterday I decided it was time to get back to the Saturday morning shop rides which changed my whole cycling world. Prior to discovering C&D Cycles I'd done a lot of cycling but this was mostly on my own. I'd encouraged friends to ride but mostly they weren't as into it as I was. Then I took my bike in for a service and I was invited to try a shop ride. It was here that I discovered that it's easier to make friends with cyclists than it is to get your existing friends to cycle! There was a couple of years when the thought of not riding on Saturday morning would just have seemed ridiculous. However things happen and despite getting out with the club for off road rides it's been months since I've ridden with this group.

The gathered mamils

Tony with his ingenious tri-bar spot light arrangement

On arrival it was like old times. Banter flowed and questions were asked such as: "is that really you?" A large group of us set out in horrible damp and dirty conditions for a well ridden route. 30 seconds into the ride and two thirds of the group blindly following each others malfunctioning Garmin's turned right when the route was straight on. 6 of us went the right with a mixture of worry about the correct course of action and the usual splitting of our sides. We were mostly re-united by Geddington but still missing some of the group. However the following rescue plan worked. We called Andy at the shop who called the missing cyclists. We then arranged to meet up in Rushton and continue on together. 

Jamie effortlessly glided up the hill, he denies this,we all saw it!!!

Despite the filthy conditions it really was lovely to be out. This is a splendid route with a challenging climb through the village of East Farndon. Having not been out much on the road recently I was a bit nervous of the climb and decided to take it easy. Bewilderingly by doing that I completed the Strava segment in my third best time. Don't be deceived though, I was out of breath and knackered way before the top. This is about as tough as it gets in Northamptonshire. For anyone reading this from somewhere genuinely hilly like Yorkshire or Wales, East Farndon Hill is a difficult flat bit.

wonky glasses, wonky helmet, filthy face...yes I'm quite the catch!!!

Kelmarsh Hall

Harrington

more Harrington

Last pic at Harrington. It's usually such a pretty place. Looked grim yesterday!

After the hilly bits it was nice to have a blast into Loddington before saying goodbye to the group. I really enjoyed getting back out with the club so I better try to make it a habit again!

In the week I discovered this gem on YouTube. It's a documentary concerning the rivalry between Chris Boardman and Graeme Obree. It's fascinating to see the contrast of Boardman supported by a professional team with all the latest equipment and Obree who built his own bike and got his brother in law to give him a hand. It was also amazing to see that British track cycling used to hold it's championships on an outdoor velodrome in Leicester. It was demolished in the 90's but here's some history: Cycling Weekly I also got excited when I read that Obree's film about the land speed record for a self powered vehicle, Battle Mountain was available on the BBC iplayer. It's not...it was there only until early March!

seriously good watch, warning: it's an hour long

In Northamptonshire we have our own historic velodrome but many people don't realise. Built in the 1930's it's currently the go-kart track in Wicksteed Park. Every now and again they let us cyclists on it but attempts to make this a regular thing have been unsuccessful. We'd love it to be a safe tarmac venue for Cyclones. Here's a link but it's difficult to find more info! Anglia TV I know my Dad trained on the velodrome with Invicta Road CC (Northampton,) and that KCC held events on it. It would be awesome if we could get this resource back.

Today has been a simply beautiful Spring day. I decided that the best plan was off road and even better was to make use of the longer day that British Summer Time has blessed us with and wait until later on. So first things first we needed a dog walk. East Carlton park was the venue and it was superb.

I also had jobs to do such as a tip run and re-felting the shed roof. Can't let the water in, six of our eight bikes live in there! Finally though I got out at about half past three. 

First up I tried my nearest woods where I plan to do a lot of training over the coming months. It was too wet still!There are really steep slopes I want to test myself on but with soft ground it just wasn't good riding...

So I nipped over to Desborough where they have a fantastic greenspace. It's a lovely leisure area around the new estates that have been built there.

It's got nice signs

Some bird spotting advice...Red Kites are ten a penny around here

I had a couple of goes around the area the kids call "the trails," which is good off road riding in the summer but there too it was too muddy still. My tyres just caked up with mud and the lack of grip made it disappointing.

muddy tyres

Nice shot of the trails...oh yeah and of that loveable bike!

Having discovered it's too early in the year for proper fun I headed off to harder trails. I went down the disused roads around Desborough to Harrington. On Green Lane my high speed fun was ruined by dog walkers. I will get a clear run at it one day! It was still very very nice to be out!!!

Ubiquitous shadow shot

So that's a great couple of weeks cycling. If I pull the inner tube on the rollers trick off I will get Sam to do a video. If I post in another cast, you'll know something went wrong.

Happy Pedalling!