a near miss with super sam and ninja niamh

Without trying to sound too dramatic Sam, Niamh and I are lucky to be alive. It should have been very safe. We were crossing the A43 using the pedestrian crossings designed specifically for cyclists to access Weekley Woods. The light takes an age from the traffic light going red to the green cyclist to tell you it's safe. As that happened today I said ok kids and we started to move, out of the corner of my eye a black BMW with no intention of stopping screamed towards the crossing. I yelled stop and luckily the kids did as the oblivious driver went straight through the red light. Other vehicles stared on in horror and then waved us over after the lights has changed green for them. Had that car hit one of us we were dead. I do hope whatever they were rushing to was worth one of our lives. I called the police later but unfortunately there was no camera coverage so nothing can be done. 

Once the fright had quietened we actually had a nice ride. It's a road ride from our house up to Glendon then cycle track to and through Weekley. It's nicely laid out and a good place to ride. On the way back we took the bridle path from Glendon to a Rushton. That's a nice trail ride with some downhills to provide a bit of fun. Coming out of Rushton Sam proved the new bike is working for him.

Despite the scare I would recommend this ride to anyone. Just remember not everyone cares about your safety so trust yourself and no one else.

Action shot on the good track at Weekley Woods

Bridle Path from Glendon

Approaching Rushton

Gran Fondo 4th Time Lucky

The plan for today was to join the C&DCYCLES shop ride and if I felt up to it, to make up the difference and complete the April 130km/80miles Gran Fondo. That plan succeeded but only with the help of some special people.

Firstly as a husband and father of 3 I realise that my time does not belong to me, it belongs to my family. Without my wife's support I wouldn't be able to ride as often as I do and I certainly wouldn't have a spare 6 hours to take on a Strava challenge.

Secondly I didn't even know if my bike would be fit to ride. The crunchy noise made me think the bearings in the head set were at best dry and more likely to be damaged. Andy at C&DCYCLES assured me if I got there early he'd have me all sorted by the 8:45 ride start time. He was true to his word. My worst fears were confirmed as Andy removed my forks with the frantic energy of a granny one number short of a full house. The bearings were indeed shot. Five minutes later new bearings were fitted and greased and Clive's steering was returned to it's former glory. I have no idea what they'll charge me for that job because it wasn't Andy's priority. He puts his customers and the club first and for that we should all be very grateful. I know I am! Whatever the cost it'll be worth every penny.





The bit to the right of Kettering was the shop ride and what a ride. I have no idea what we were all on this morning because that's the fastest Saturday ride I've been on. Vroom Wednesday on a Saturday some people have said. We were led again by Big Steve Major with Andy the magnificent mechanic taking the rear or 'tail gunner' as we say.

Outside the shop at the start

If the pace was high the banter was of equal quality. I have been asked by my son, what we talk about on rides. Well often it's bikes and cycling, sometimes it's sport and sometimes there's a smattering of smut. One such conversation involving the use of power tools in an adult movie took an interesting turn as we hypothesised whether Makita or de Walt would be the porn stars cordless tool of choice. Big Steve put us straight, it has to be de Walt apparently!

Quick stop at the Church in Clopton

For no reason other than we're both silly billies, Nathan I started racing on the hill heading back to Thrapston. He even went round the roundabout at the top to make sure he could overtake me again. That's not really acceptable behaviour for a shop ride but as it was a tallest dwarf contest and everyone was riding so well I'm not sure anyone else noticed. Finally as we realised we were just knackering ourselves we agreed on an honourable draw. Unfortunately for Nathan I have no honour and claimed the day by jumping him whilst he was having a chat on my favourite Warkton to Stamford Rd climb. All that stupidity did me good because I have PRs on segments where I normally struggle.

It says 'Historic Church' that way so that must be the modern church in the background

No slip ups at Barratt's corner

Back at the shop there was tea, coffee and cake washed down with lashings more banter. I went easy on Andy though because he's my hero today. (There Andy is that enough mentions!)

So off I toddled on my erm...tod! I really didn't have a plan but left Kettering on the A43 heading to Geddington, from there I went through Newton up to Great Oakley. As this Gran Fondo was about testing yourself I decided to go right at Great Oakley rather than go to Pipewell via the Southern Gateway.

These are the challenge instructions:

"For this Challenge, deviate from your normal routes and go after something more adventurous. Optimize for suffering and exploration, not comfort and convenience. Share stories from your fondo using the hashtag #fondoday. "

I didn't mean to end up on an industrial estate in Corby

I hadn't been that way before and now I know why. It just took me on a loop to rejoin the A43 and head into Corby at the euro hub. Not a route I'd recommend because it's a fast busy road with lots of lorries. That's the opposite of what I'm looking for. It didn't really float my boat riding round the industrial estate near Rockingham Motor Speedway either. 

I love this feature in Lyddington

Finally I left Corby and headed to Gretton, then Lyddington and round Eyebrook Reservoir via the Stoke Dry hill. I'd only been up that climb before and for me it's quite a test so I felt it needed my downhill skills unleashing on it. The only problem with that was the hill out of Lyddington is just as beastly and I shamefully dropped to granny ring. The picture of Eyebrook does not capture how spectacular the view was at Stoke Dry. 

The view across Eyebrook Reservoir

At this point I was still making it up as I went along with Ashley being my next vague target and then check the distance to plan the rest of my ride. Due to the disaster of Gran Fondo 2 where my technology gave up at 79 miles I took no chances. In the bike mount was my old Sony Xperia (awful phone don't get one,) and in my back pocket was the best smartphone I've owned, the Samsung Galaxy S4mini (iPhone users please don't bang on about how good your phone is, I'm a Samsung man now and it's unlikely to change.) the Sony gave up as I entered Ashley on just under 70 miles. So it was with dread I reached into my jersey pocket to check the Samsung. I shouldn't have worried, despite Strava running for 5 hours with all other apps on the go it was only down to 50% and it's still got some charge now! 

10 miles to go then. What shall I do? At that point the remnants of my scarcely seen common sense abandoned me...I know, Middleton then Rocky Hill. Fondo says I must suffer so suffer I did! A few moments later I was in the middle of the Rockingham Wheelers time trial. I got some bemused looks but lads just because you're on a £3k TT bike don't look down your nose at me. Your poo smells too! 

Yes mind out we can be foolish

Middleton Hill was hard but I was pleased because after all those miles there was no signs of cramp. Then I chucked my chain and the act of bending over to get it back on caused my right quads to lock up. A few big stretches and I was back on and before I knew in the foot slopes of the castle topped beast we know as Rocky Hill. Straight to granny but in the middle of my cogs, I clicked gradually up to the 24 as the climb progressed and then just hung on. I loved it. The pain was exhilarating. Look it's not the alps, it's not even the Pennines but for round here it's as hard as it gets. If you want an idea how steep it is there's a field on the left as you climb littered with cheap plastic sledges. You can just imagine on snow days the kids of Corby legging it down poundland to buy a sledge (not sure how much they cost,) and then having two or three goes before their McDonald's fuelled Xbox trained legs gave up and abandoning their purchase in the knowledge they'll get another one next year.

I've said before the disappointing thing about Rocky Hill is that it ends up on a fast road in an urban area but busy traffic negotiated I headed towards Pipewell. I checked Strava and at 124km I was sure I had enough in case there was a distance reduction when I finished. 

There was one last piece of excitement before I got home. A buzzard in the road noticed me at the last  minute and nonchalantly flapped off, it then got a bit panicky as I drew level with him. Those moments are made for a go pro camera, I really need to get one.

I got home, checked the Strava as 134km, clicked save and held my breath. It stayed at 134. Yes I'd done it. That's not my longest ride but I honestly can't think of one I've enjoyed more. What a great day on the bike.

Happy Pedalling!

Commuting

Not impressive at all but important to blog this. Twice this week I've been lucky enough to bike to work. It's only five miles and has been dry so this little spin really is a pleasure. At least 50% of it is countryside so that's nice too.

There's more to it than that though. Last week the UK was in the grip of horrendous air pollution caused by a combination of Sahara dust, light winds and fossil fuel emissions. A vast amount of that is down to motor vehicles. If all of us ride to work when we can (I don't usually get the opportunity due to having to drive kids to school in Kettering,) then it will make a difference to our environment. The government recognises this and many people, like me benefit from Ride to Work Schemes.  So I find it bewildering when I read that not everyone benefits even in the government as detailed in this article from Bike radar.  You can see all the benefits of cycling to work here Cycle to Work Alliance.

So can cycling save the penguins, reduce greenhouse gases, clean up our air and make us all healthier, wealthier and wiser? This Report says yes. Another article from the same report expands on  Denmark leading the way. Finally this is my favourite article  60 benefits of bike commuting.

Happy pedalling

Super Sam's first spin on his new ride

The trusty 20" wheel 7 speed Scott that served us so well

The new 24" 18 speed Cuda

Super Sam looks the part

Houston we have a problem

Well it's the end of an era as Sam, the third and youngest of our children to use the Scott radical 2000 moves on to a bigger bike. Thanks to Grandad Big Dave who purchased the original for Joe now 16 and 6ft and a lot, Sam has his shiny new ride with new features such as a triple chainring and adjustable suspension. We went for this Cuda on advice from Chris at C&DCYCLES who advised us against a 'bigger brand' because apparently they're all in reality very similar bikes built in the same four factories in Taiwan. I have to say on first inspection I'm impressed with the build quality of the Cuda and the look of the bike. Time will tell as they say and to chuck in another metaphor, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. However this bike performs it will have to go some to achieve the status of the little Scott. On that I'm proud to say there is a new home for our legendary bike as Martin Jones from C&DCYCLES club is going to take it for his kids. That feels right to me. I hope the Jones kids get the same joy from it as the Lindsleys did.

For me it's really important to encourage kids in sport. Our eldest, Joe, loves his football and their sister Niamh is a real sporting all rounder. Sam is probably the least competitive of the kids but he really is motivated towards his cycling. For me as a cyclist I feel I have a moral responsibility to encourage my kids to ride, it's good for them, it's good for our economy and it's good for the planet. Here's some extra stuff on getting kids into bikes:

One of my favourite cycling sites is Road cc, I follow them on Facebook and everyday they run a story that catches my eye. Today they ran a piece on 4 year old twins who already excell on BMX, show your kids, if that doesn't get them on their bikes nothing will! click this link! http://youtu.be/nrKMWfI81C4 and because I like to credit my original source Road cc

There's a number of initiatives to get more kids cycling, I've put some links below:

Change4life

Sustrans

All party commission on physical activity

Sky Ride

British Heart Foundation

Tonight's spin was cut short by a mechanical on orange. The sidewall on my rear tyre ruptured. Totally my fault the wheel has a slight buckle and the tyre rubs on the brake block. I stopped to sort it out when the lovely Claire Moore rode up on a splendid Trek demo bike she was trying out. Always good to catch up with bike friends and she said she was working on her pace and hoped to be back on a C&DCYCLES shop ride soon. I hope she meant that as it would be good to see her back with the club and also because we need to encourage as many ladies as possible to get out on bikes. The truth is Claire that you were quicker when you first came out and got slower as it got colder. I have a feeling by the summer you'll be more than a match for us mamils.

Back to our ride. The slime in my tyres saved the day and we were able to do a bit more. The original plan was also a bit ambitious as Sam gets used to a bigger bike with more gears. I swapped the tyre on Orange but perhaps should use the spare hybrid until that wheel is taken care of by a professional.  Whatever I ride I cant wait for another adventure with Super Sam.

Happy peddaling

Vroom Wednesday Strava Fail!

The happy few

I did two rides today. The first was a ride to work. The first ever on the bike I bought through 'bike to work' and only 8 months after I got it! Strava recorded that 5 miles which is nice. I was able to bike in because it's school holidays here. Better still as the kids had no activities tonight I was able to make a rare appearance at C&DCYCLES Vroom Wednesday.

Vroom Wednesday is the clubs faster ride. It still works on the principles of the club where no man is left behind and as the slowest rider in the group I was thankful for their patience. I can only imagine how many PRs I got tonight because I had a Strava fail! This happens from time to time and it's always frustrating. 

Strava has a lot to answer for. It's an obsession. In some ways it's a really good thing. I like knowing how my ride was and I like doing the challenges. In other ways it's a menace. Take tonight. I had a great ride in lovely company. I definitely ride faster than I normally do which can only help my riding. I also can really feel it in my legs now which is more evidence that I had a good ride. It's all money in the bank for my personal journey of cycling improvement. So why so glum? Well I smashed my legs off on the Warkton to Stamford Road climb. I'm convinced it was a PR and it might have got me in the top ten. Now I will never know. I'll just have to smash it again won't I?

Tonight's fuel of choice was lidl jelly babies, great value at 59p.  I like sweets on a ride. Often they have the same energy value as energy gels but they're way cheaper. I've heard that just 8 jelly beans is the same amount of sugar as a standard gel sachet. So for most rides I'm on the sweeties. I also tend to drink standard blackcurrant squash However like most people I'm a sucker for the nutrition pseudoscience especially when it's free. On sportives where they give away gels and isotonic drink tablets I can't get enough. I doubt they help my ride significantly but the placebo effect is strong with me and I always believe on the day. In between organised rides I like to get my sugar rush the cheap way!

Happy pedalling. 

This view was familiar

Another impressive skyline

I deserve a pint!

Another approach to hill training

Tonight was a beautiful evening to be on a bike. A total contrast from yesterday and isn't that typical for this country. Anyway I wanted hills and I wanted to see if valley traversing to maximise the ups and downs was as good a workout as hill repeats. My verdict is erm...I think it's better. Obviously you get longer recovery times but the variance feels more challenging. I'm really pleased with the PRs tonight especially  my old adversary Bunker Hill. I also didn't need to drop to granny ring so that feels good.

I was trying to think up something interesting tonight so it wasn't just "did some hills blah blah blah,'' when a chap on an old colnago came past me. I wanted a closer look at the bike which he told me he'd been given to replace a Masi he snapped! The previous owner of the Colnago has apparently taken up golf. Then he said he needed a flat bar bike because reaching the brakes had become difficult. At this point I noticed he had a prosthetic arm and was holding an adapted handlebar with a metal loop! Wow I said now I have something for the blog, I do hope he's ok with that!

Collecting information about people who overcome difficulties is a bit of a hobby of mine. It's been useful for work to show kids examples of people who succeed despite everything. Things like Sir Steve Redgrave and his diabetes, Richard Branson's dyslexia, Daniel Radcliffe with dyspraxia, Billy Connolly and his abysmal childhood...you get the picture. I get a bit excited about it all and I try to share this with as many as possible. Possibly the worst example of this was when talking to a lady who's son has dwarfism. I tried to give examples of successful people such as Warwick Davis unfortunately her response "yeah yeah he won't be out of work at Christmas," left me a bit red faced!

Back to the ride. I really enjoyed this route, it's a good distance for a quick evening spin and this could become a bit of a regular.

Happy pedalling

Typical Northants valley

Sunset

Spring sky in England

Forgive me Velominati for I have sinned

So I'm BACK in training. After the gash horror riding ban I feel I need to make up for lost time otherwise I'm going to look a right pansy on Star Wars day. The aborted plan for this evening was more hill training but instead of ten goes up one hill I decided to do some valley traversing. It would have been a killer but then the rain came!

Look it's bad right?

Now I do like the rules and I also like to abuse them. Yes I have a saddle bag and yes I have the wrong brand of mini pump attached to Clive and finally I really don't care for all this kilometre malarkey. That final one is to me just a way of making it look like you had a longer ride. One rule I do like to stick to is Rule #9 if you ride in bad weather then you are badass. Period. Click the link it's worth it. However I decided tonight wasn't the night for badass. It's just a training ride. Had it been a sportive or a club ride I may have pushed on. For me. It was too risky. For starters it went dark and even with wipers on full, drivers visibility would be impaired. Then the roads were like rivers and as much as I trust my gators I really don't think I need another incident. One more tumble and I'm sure Lee will take my felling axe to Clive. I'm not risking her wrath. Finally with the roads this full of water you can't see the potholes. In short, you're asking for it. 

On my return home, Mrs Lindsley was standing nervously in the window bay. She remarked that her concern for my safety had nearly provoked a bowel movement but in words more associated with the Major. I guess my common sense might be appreciated on this occasion.

I found some other interesting stuff. Firstly this crazy man decided to ride a cobbled spring classic route on a penny farthing. Check it out as he hilariously asks Sean Kelly if he's done the ride before. Joff Summerfield the penny farthing geezer

PS if you don't know who Sean Kelly is: 1.You're a dufus as he's a legend and 2. Click here

Another interesting blog I read talked about the pros in the spring classics going wider with the rubber. No one has gone for my mad 23mm rear and 25mm front combo but they're going up as high as 28mm and finding less, yes less roll resistance. I have to say I really like having a 25 on the front and when I need a new rear I'm definitely going 25 there too. Anyway don't believe me check it out.

Road CC blog on wider tyres

 Oh well the forecast is better for the rest of the week so I'm going to have more chances.