Lee's recovery continues, mechanicals, races and long rides...

It's been about a month since my last blog and unless something special happens I think this will be the regular pattern from now on. As ever I will start with an update on Lee before switching to all things cycling.

I love this picture of Lee and the cheeky guide dog 🦮 puppy, Flint. Today at Mum and Dad's, Flint was "dancing," with Lee. We haven't had a dog that does this since our beloved Ben passed away a few years ago.

Lee is still struggling but is also still making progress. She has been having physio sessions where they've worked on her walking. Specifically it's been about a better gait, getting stronger and building stamina. Lee's goal is to be able to walk the dogs 🐕 on her own. 

Lee also goes for daily walks with her Mum. She's also been attending a chronic fatigue group, which ironically, makes her tired! Naps, becoming breathless and sore muscles are still part of daily life. It's a case of one step too far being a disaster. Lee will feel okay and then just go weak. It's very frustrating for her and unpleasant for us to see. Let's not get pessimistic though. I think we will get there, it might take a bit more time but we'll get Lee back to "normal," and then we can think about some longer term fitness goals...okay that last bit is me being me! I'm fairly sure Lee isn't planning entering an obstacle race or a crossfit challenge...

 

Time for the cycling 

So my focus has moved from mile munching to a bit of racing. For now that's Friday Night Summer Series MTB racing and time trials...neither have got off to a good start but...for once its mechanicals not my fitness holding me back. The first FNSS race was hosted by Welland valley CC at Spanhoe Airfield on a course designed by Adrian Kilworth. The evening felt like it was going to be awesome. On arrival I met up with so many cycling friends and the atmosphere built nicely. The course looked great and we started on the grass airfield, then onto a concrete runway before the trails started. Only...I didn't get to the trails because my chain snapped after less than a quarter of a lap! It's fair to say I was not amused but it was with utmost shame I heard the following: "it's okay darling he's just cross because his bike broke like Daddy gets sometimes..." So I stomped off to the car and decided to take pics of friends racing instead.

The next day I took my bike to see Craig at Richardson's cycles. I've never had a broken chain before and knew other bits were probably worn out too. Well I wasn't wrong...everything was worn out. I got a good price for parts and as I wanted a bigger cassette with more range it was kind of an upgrade!

Craig asked if I wanted him to change the cassette and stupidly I said no, I could do it.I failed completely to get the old cassette off. I did manage a first for me,  which was to snap one chain whip and bend another. I then got frustrated and tried to cut the cassette off but that didn't work either. So...I took it back to Craig, who with the help of a vice cracked the lock ring off in seconds! With that done, I was able to do the rest myself. 

All that meant I could take part in FNSS round 2 at Borough Hill Daventry. Another great course and this time I made it round in one piece. No mechanicals, no worries! I was 42nd out of 46 finishers in my age group. That's okay for me and now I have something to aim for. Again it was great to see so many cycling friends. The only near disaster of the evening was I got the mini stuck on a hidden fence post in the parking field! My CRV wouldn't have noticed but as Lee finds my car easier to drive, I'm using her mini. Anyway, people came to the rescue, so it all ended well!

Unbelievably last week I snapped a spoke on my mtb front wheel! I was confident I could fix this myself but wasn't sure what size spoke to order. As I was in Northampton I took this to Rutland Cycles at Pitsford. They suggested doing the job and as it was a good price I agreed. Having said it would take a few days they got me sorted the same day...it comes with a warning though. Apparently the rim was bent and the spoke could break again! The only way to find out is to ride it and see. Thankfully I didn't break anything else on a test ride today!

In other news I managed just one TT so far this season. I had broken my road bike this time and again it was Craig to the rescue. This time it was a seized gear cable (clearly I need Di2!) I tried to do this myself but it was near impossible.

On Wednesday I planned to go to the Rocko TT  and for some reason my gears went all weird and then my front tyre went flat! Clearly the universe wanted me to stay home. The whole thing stressed me out on Wednesday evening but after a good night's sleep I woke early the next day and went on a fixing spree. Gears sorted, new tyres on my propel, changed tyre on my winter bike and I stripped the MTB wheel down for the spoke repair. It's weird how productive I am early in the morning!

I've been for some good group rides over the weeks. I'll let the pictures do the talking on these. All I will say is, those friends in the Cyclasylum really do make the world feel better!

In other bits of my cycling, I'm still enjoying coaching, commuting is going well and I've found a way to use my trailer to get to junior parkrun by bike even with the Run Director kit.

Elite cycling is focused on the Giro right now. It's been a thoroughly enjoyable race so far. It bodes well for a great year of cycling!

Happy Pedalling 😊 

Long overdue blog to catch up...

 I haven't written a blog since March the 13th...that was after lee and I had a nice week off together. Since then we have had a weekend away in London and I have done a LOT of cycling! So here's a catch up and then I'll try and get back in the habit of writing more regularly.

So on March the 26th Lee and I went down to that there London with our good friends Martin and Vicky. This was originally sold to me as Martin and I go to watch Saints at London Irish on the Saturday and then on the Sunday we'd have afternoon tea in the Shard... 

As Sunday was mother's day, the Shard was fully booked so I had to miss the rugby! However we had a great time in the Shard, the view is worth it and Martin and I definitely got our money's worth on the limitless wine refills! Our waiter was good fun too!

Lee enjoyed her day out but did struggle at times. We used the tube to start with but it became clear this was too much for her and we needed to use taxis. Lee had an early night in the hotel and as Vicky was also not fussed about joining us, Martin and I headed out to the pubs in the Paddington area where we were staying.

The next day we had a wander around London before heading home. It was quite strange to see the capital busy after all these Covid19 months. All the mask and distancing notices are still up and very few people were paying it all any attention!

The rest of the Lee update is that she hasn't really changed much for a few months. She is still very tired and finds a little activity exhausting. She was hoping to be back at work by now but it still feels a long way off. Lee is tired, fed up, frustrated and worried what everyone thinks about her slow recovery. Despite this, to the outside world she continues to portray positivity. One thing that has started is physio. Lee is working on building her walking strength and stamina. It's good to finally be getting some advice!

In wider family news, Monty, Guide dog puppy number 6 has failed his training, the silver lining to that particular cloud is that he has returned to my parents as his forever home! Mum and Dad adore Monty so having him back is a great reward for all their years of hard work...Monty is less than impressed with Flint, guide dog puppy number 7...because he wanted to sit on Lee!!!

Joe and Amy continue their life as homeowners. It's still weird to think our oldest son owns a house! We helped out DIY SOS style in their garden...Lee was allowed to sweep the new patio and as you can guess, this wore her right out!!!

TIME FOR THE CYCLING BIT

Cycling wise I have done loads so I will stick to the highlights. I am still commuting to work on my bike most days and things like coaching continue. I've really upped my miles the last few weeks and have enjoyed so great long rides.

On Good Friday I joined WVCC for their Spring Gravel ride. This was organised by Adrian Kilworth (Kila.) 

We headed out of Harborough, mostly on towpaths and into Leicester for a bit of an urban, city park, canal side ride. It really was something quite different and very enjoyable.

Moody urban shot...

Foxton locks...

After a well earned pint back in Market Harborough, Ashley and I limped our way back along the Brampton Valley way before going home. 

The next day, with exhausted legs I joined my friends from the Cyclasylum for a ride they'd named Beaster. This was a ridiculous ride, taking in all the significant hills possible and including taking on the infamous Neville Holt from 3 directions...

Great company and banter got me through the ride...my legs were distinctly unimpressed with the things I put them through!

On Easter Monday it was my turn to do the organising with a long overdue Cyclasylum off road ride. A good group gathered in Rothwell for 30ish miles of MTB fun...

From the off Graham had issues...firstly he lost his skewer nut so couldn't secure his front wheel when he got his bike out of the car. Luckily we were round the corner from my house so I got him a spare...then his chain broke going up the hill from Ashley...we thought we were so clever with this repair until someone pointed out the chain was on the wrong side of the front mech!

Graham persisted with just his big ring and then got a puncture...he nursed a deflating tyre before admitting defeat and missing just the last five or so miles.

Graham also missed out on the moody group photo in the Kelmarsh tunnel. This ride was tonnes of fun, big thanks for everyone who came along!

Yesterday Andy, Ian and I headed out for the first Rutland Cicle Classic since the pandemic struck. Our plan was to follow the racing and get a good ride in too. Ian had done the 100 mile sportive of the race route the day before so kudos to him for having the legs to go to those hills again. Check that elevation...you'd have similar on a day in the Peaks and that is just100ft less than the Dartmoor Classic over a similar distance.

The racing was exceptional. Andy planned a good route and got us to key places at the right time. Ian left us at Owston where we had met up with riders from other local clubs. As we approached Melton Mowbray for the finish, Andy punctured. So not wanting us both to miss out he sent me on ahead whilst he sorted out his bike. I ended up following the lead police bike into Melton, minutes ahead of the race! It was a funny experience with people cheering me on!

Andy missed the sprint finish and had the opposite experience of following the end of the race into Melton and being stuck behind the held up traffic. he did however make it to see the presentations where amongst other things riders were awarded their weight in beer and the world's biggest Melton Mowbray pork pie.

On the ride home we had tailwind all the way. It was a very pleasant late afternoon ride and the scenery from Melton back to Rothwell was stunning at times. The riding was great too with testing climbs and glorious descents. All in all a great day out!

Just a few shout outs to my fellow riders doing great things. I was highly jealous of David and Phil for doing the Paris-Roubaix sportive and then staying to watch the racing for the weekend. That has to be on every cyclists bucket list. Right now another RFWCC rider, Steve is taking on the Italian Divide...that's another for the bucket list. The pictures so far are stunning. I think Paul is out there with him but don't quote me on that!

Happy Pedalling!

 

Nice week off with Lee

This week I had some annual leave and spent quality time with Lee, as well as getting out and about on my bike. Standard format for the blog. Family update and then my cycling stuff. 

This time last year Lee spent her 48th birthday in hospital. As a consequence we wanted to make up for it this year.

Níamh did a great job making the house look nice and the day started with presents. Then we headed out. 

Lee had no idea where we were going and kept telling people she was going on a magical mystery tour. Our first destination was Wicken Fen nature reserve, a National Trust owned area. This was great for Lee because the was a flat firm boardwalk around the fen of just under a mile. 

There's a nice cafe and visitor centre too!

After that we made our way to Anglesey Abbey, unlike the name suggests, this is in Cambridgeshire too, not Wales! It's also a National Trust property so our recently acquired membership was getting good use! 

This was another nice place to walk around with flat firm paths and a well kept ornamental garden. There is also a house to look around but we were too late for that. We did look around the water mill which is really nice.

There is a nice cafe there too! Lee had a really nice day out but was exhausted afterwards.

Later in the week we had a trip to Bosworths garden centre where Lee spent some of her birthday money on plants for some wall planters I'd fitted in the garden. I think these will look great.

It wasn't just getting out and about. We also just spent time together at home. It was nice to just have a relaxing time. We also had some emotional moments reflecting on the year before. I'd happily just live like this for ever but that's not the real world is it. Back to work tomorrow!

Here's the split to the cycling stuff

I've been lucky enough to get out on my bikes loads and do a lot of maintenance. This week I've changed the headset bearings on two bikes, cut down a steerer tube, serviced a free hub, topped up tubeless sealant, sorted some corroded bolts and fitted a new brake lever face.

To help with that I cycled over to see Craig at Richardson's Cycles in Corby. I went there via Rockingham Hill. 

After great service from Craig I headed into the Welland Valley taking in Harringworth viaduct and Eyebrook Reservoir.

On Thursday I went out for a ride in glorious spring weather with my good friend Neil.

We put the world to rights on a great little loop on quiet Northamptonshire country roads. 

As well as cycling we enjoyed good food at Wythmails cafe in Orlingbury.

My biggest ride of the week was the Cyclasylum Saturday group ride.

This was a ride out to Ramsey in the fens. 

Sometimes this flat route is an easy way to do a long ride. On Saturday, with a strong southerly breeze it was hard work!

We stopped at a cafe in Ramsey where I had my incident of the day. Whilst leaving the cafe I stopped to let other people come in. Unfortunately I stopped but my cycling shoes kept going. My feet slid out from under me and I landed unceremoniously on my bottom. 

 

Despite the tough riding conditions the group was in usual high spirits. We laughed, we sang, banter flowed and we enjoyed ourselves.

Happy Pedalling