Vroom Wednesday - Pitsford Reverse

You can't beat a bit of Vroom Wednesday and 16 C&DCC members attending is a fantastic turnout. If you add the two routes together you get the full Pitsford reverse. As it was vroom we do expect to go quicker but at the same time the primary rule of C&DCC is observed "no one gets left behind."

Jonesy was our leader tonight but bless him he hasn't recovered from his ankle knock and wasn't up for it. So we all helped out a bit and as it's a well ridden route we did ok. I did a lot of hanging back and then catching up which means my average was down but I got 31 trophies. I'm very happy with
that.

On the ride tonight I was pleased to do some more catching up with old friends. Richard and Teresa were back and I tried not to drool over that Pinarello Dogma but wow just wow.  I still love Clive though. On that I'm disappointed no-one noticed the sponsor's name on my bike. Good to catch up with Ollie too and I don't think we've seen Phil 'the beast' Broxton for a while. He was of course at his athletic best. The rest of the group was a mix of regulars and relative newbies. All good people and no issues. So thanks all for coming along and enjoying the ride.

I felt the need to tell the KitKat story today so this seemed appropriate decoration

Action shot

Lovely to see peeping Tom back out with us!

Andy couldn't join us tonight which is a shame. He was out today on his own build 9.8. The bike just looks fast standing still, when he gets used to it all the KOM's for miles are at risk. I'm sure a tow behind that tonight would have been a real pleasure.

Finally kudos to Northampton for getting it's own version of the London Boris bikes. I wonder how long it will be before someone takes one on a crazy challenge. Rocky Hill anyone?

Northampton bikes

Happy pedalling

Commute, excellent service, lard and some twonkers

Ok so it was standard commute time again today. Well standard except I nibbled up another place on my target segment and now bewilderingly I'm 4th on the ridiculous sprint section that is finish hard. Hopefully I can find another notch and make a top three. That would be rare company indeed for me. I also better do it quick before those Boardman's unleash on the segment.

On arrival at work I crossed the number 14 off on my Oz countdown board and unbelievably there are just two more Mondays at work before we go to Brisbane. When we committed to save for this
holiday three years ago it didn't feel real. Now it's as real as Saints being the English champions.

A quick change and then I got Clive up to Andy at C&DCYCLES for some tinkering. Things were clicking and clunking so frankly he needed a once over. I dropped Clive off at 9:30 and picked him up at 4:30. My little longcliffe is now super smooth and good as new. Great work as ever Andy and by way of thanks Mrs Lindsley will provide cakes for the Saturday CLUB ride.

Not quite me

As ever I'm thinking of ways to improve my equipment and on that score I've taken a look in the mirror and realise the best upgrade I can make is to me. I've been battling the lard since I realised trying to bulk up for Rugby really wasn't necessary anymore. At my heaviest I've been a shade under 16stone. Right now I'm 14st 5lbs under ideal conditions, I think most fellow fatties will realise I mean first thing, after my morning 'routine,' and before I've had anything to eat or drink. For the last few years, despite having cycling in my life I've yo- yo'd between 15 and 13 and a half stone. Like the rest
of the world I tried 5:2 and it does work but I didn't like it with cycling. The most effective thing I've done is My Fitness Pal and that's what I'm back on. It works for me because I monitor what I eat but also because anything I burn on the bike I can add to my daily allowance. So if I want a few beers and a pizza, I need to get some quality miles in. Anyway I think 13 is my magic number and I'm determined to get there.

On my return home I decided to try the Northfield Avenue cycle paths. They're not bad actually, quite a bit smoother than the roads. The total twonkers on cheap 'mountain' bikes I shared the path with were however a bit disappointing. These helmet less buffoons were weaving all over the place, kerb hoping and a menace to other vehicles. At one point they shot across the road with the last sliding sideways as he locked up in the path of an oncoming car. More candidates for Darwin awards.

There is however a highlight on this route in the rather amusing advice from KBC. It really could be a mantra to live by!

Happy pedalling

Bonus blog, saddle bag or not?

So rule #29 of velominati is that saddle bags have no place on road bikes. I've personally broken that rule a lot and more recently I've adhered to it. You'll see from this link that not even the velominati creator actually sticks to it. http://www.velominati.com/accessories-and-gear/breaking-the-rules-29/

So what's the issue? Bags are not cool. They spoil the beautiful lines of our bikes. They also rattle, or at least the bits in them do. We like our bikes to look good and we also like them to sound good. Like the Evans advert says, we're a weird bunch (local bike shops are available.)

Here's my very simple solution. It's one of Chris and Andy's little bags. The pictures tell you all you need to know. Now you'd think Andy would approve, as another back pocket man but apparently not. "What's that?" He said in a disgusted tone. Then Claire said it would give me a sweat rash to which Andy added "we're only thinking of you!"

Free jersey pack provided by my local bike shop

Nice pocket size, 50p added for scale

You can buy an official cycling jersey caddy sack for about a tenner. They're £6.84 in both Halfords and Wiggle so I guess two of the big three are playing price matching games. It's PVC so frankly it's just as sweaty as my carrier bag so they don't care about Andy and Claire's rash paranoia either!

Ooh caddy sack

Big Steve has a surprisingly elegant solution as he bought a pencil case from wilkos for £4.99. It's like the one below except it's more Everton blue like our C&DCYCLES jerseys. Andy was impressed with this and joked that they shoulda get a job lot and have C&DCYCLES embroidered on next door, then sell them for a tenner. If you think that's steep check out the Rapha link below!

Big Steve's solution

Perhaps putting this ridiculous argument to be we should turn to our most athletic rider, Phil 'the beast' Broxton. The beast is without doubt our most accomplished endurance rider. His specialism is Audax and he's been smashing the miles all year on monster rides. Have you seen the size of his saddlebag? It's as huge as his stamina.

Not Phil's actual bike or bag but it's like it and he also has a Brooks saddle

Not content with what goes on at our club I did some googling (other search engines are available but then I also Hoover with a Dyson so who cares.) The  very first link I followed was one about carrying your gun on a bike! I also found out how to carry a suit on a bike. Very important in that London apparently. There were arguments about what you should carry and the whole 'should you,' 'shouldn't you,' debate. There's a link to a Rapha pack more expensive than my tyres and some other bits and bobs. Have a click and see for yourself. 

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2011/08/eric-nelson/the-truth-about-bicycle-carry/

http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/how-to-carry-a-suit-on-your-bike/

http://www.womenscycling.ca/blog/bike-maintenance/what-do-you-carry-in-your-saddle-bag/

http://bikingtolive.com/the-bicycle-seat-bag-what-should-you-carry-in-it/

http://www.cyclingforums.com/t/488333/how-do-you-carry-your-spare-tube-and-tools-on-a-long-club-ride

http://www.rapha.cc/gb/en/shop/essentials-case/product/ECS01

http://www.bogear.com.au/packs/bike-gear/jersey-pocket-pouch

http://www.amazon.com/Sticky-Pod-Cycle-Bag-Small/dp/B006XP69QK

http://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycling/424377-jersey-pocket-bag.html

Right well I hope I haven't bored you all into thinking Grease II (currently infecting my telly,) is entertainment rather than a not so subtle form of torture. I'm sticking to my trusty placky bag and for rides where I want more stuff I'm going to use a saddle bag.

Happy pedalling.

Ps surely that was enough mentions Andy?

C&DCYCLES CC first ever club ride

My dear old things, the magnificent ladies and gents of C&DCYCLES cycling club looked simply resplendent this morning in their smart new jerseys of Everton blue. Sorry I've been listening to too much Test Match Special, have you seen the cricket score? Enough of that. This is a cycling blog.

I knew I was up for a good ride today because I was singing as I rode in. I've had some very bizarre cycling ear worms recently. On Thursday it was:"miss Polly had a dolly who was sick, sick, sick..." Today I alternated between Elbow's beautiful day and Let's go fly a kite from Mary Poppins. I even started changing the words to 'let's go ride a bike!' I really do worry about me at times.

Bit of a selfie in Oundle

So today's plan was a beginner ride led by Andy with me tail gunning and a fast group led by Steve 

with Iain at the back. The fast group left first with the option of anyone wanting to drop down just waiting for us lot. Some new faces, some regulars, some faces we haven't seen for sometime and unfortunately some missing friends. However a very good turnout on a spectacular Summer day. I was particularly pleased to see Mark Nicholls who I suspected had forgotten how to ride a bike on a shiny Red Focus Cayo and lots of others too like John Rice.

The Oundle reverse is an old favourite so it seemed fitting for our first ride as an official British Cycling member club. At Oundle Claire had a brain wave and suggested an alternative route. Well done that lady it was much nicer than our usual route from Oundle to Benefield. Which ever way you go though the Brigstock Bumps beckon, more on that in a bit.

This was the first outing on Clive with the GP 4 season tyres on both wheels. They do feel more spritely so I was determined to test the increased grip. I've sworn by gators for years and these are twice the price so I want some bang for my buck. Bang is very nearly an unfortunate word here. I'd say trying to stick them into a downhill sweeping bend without really building up to it was a bit over confident. I was briefly over the white line in what others described as a 'brown shorts,' moment. Whilst merrily rolling on his (recommended by me,) gators David Tough recalled my error of judgement to Andy (mention,) and I overheard that they need 50 miles before they're up to grip...hmmm someone might have said.

To the bumps and newbie Tom supported by the ever improving Rich McNab started to feel his longest ride in his legs. What surprises me is that despite helping out at the back I got a PR up the bumps! Not as bad as you think then Tom. An even bigger surprise was a puncture for me at the top! Puncture? Andy (mention) who changed my tube with his usual professional ease pointed out that nothing had penetrated the tyre so it had to be a pinch, most likely cause was my fitting skills! Oh well. David Tough (did I mention his new gators,) had another reason to chuckle at these supposedly superior bits of rubber!

Shop selfie - yikes what is Steve doing? Good photo bombing Andy (mention)

Back at the shop today's guest cake was provided by Carla Sharpe. This was in payment for the disgrace of a messy bike that Wayne put into the shop. There's still a shiny bit on his rear hub where I wiped it with my finger and said eurgh! Still good cake and nice to see Wayne back in the saddle.

Claire of the improved route and excellent first aid/crisis management skills was recruiting others to join her and Heather, no not Heather, the other Heather on a few more miles due to her impending Pyrenees Tour trip. I'm proud of Rich McNab for taking on even more miles and joining them as ride London slips into view. Still he should be fine on his shiny new Cayo. So I joined those three, well really I suppose they joined me on my return to Rothwell and then they went off to do a bit extra. We weren't the only ones determined to make the most of this stunning day as we passed Justin and Andy (Brown) coming the other way through Rothwell.

What a great day to be on a bike

Happy Peddaling 

Commute commute commute

Todays lunch bag

I'm enjoying this ride to work malarkey. It's quite an operation though. My work clothes are scattered around the office as are a number of C&DCYCLES drawstring bags. Very handy for carrying my lunch in an not cumbersome like a rucksack. However I keep leaving them behind so today I had to borrow off the kids. Appropriately I had Niamh's bike ability bag. More on that in a minute. The other very helpful thing has been working in the same town as my wife. She's very handy for bringing bits and bobs to me, so I'm very lucky.

Niamh's bag comes from the course that all of her year at school had the opportunity to complete. Better still they did it in school time, so clearly the teachers felt it was important. Kudos to Rothwell Junior, I'm sure all parents would appreciate this opportunity.

Some interesting riding from a fellow cyclist today. In Kettering she just ignored the pedestrian at a crossing and carried on. I stopped, let the lady cross and then caught up with what appeared to be an oblivious woman on a bike. I told her what I thought and she smiled back blankly, so guess that was a waste of time. It annoys me though because those are the cyclists who give us all a bad name.

Then as I was watching traffic cops, a programme where we all get to laugh at the stupidity of motorists this happened...

They went under the police tape!

This bunch of potential Darwin Award nominees ignored road closed due to flood warnings and cycled through. They told the cops "we don't let a bit of rain stop us!" Twits. 

Right I know nothing about the tour today so fingers crossed I can enjoy the tour highlights in peace.

Happy Peddaling 

It's Wednesday it's vroom

Only four amigos for tonight's vroom. Jonesy, the vroom stalwart, injured his ankle being a tour maker. The clumsy clot fell off a kerb. Unlucky mate we've all been there! So he had a good excuse but being committed he still met us at the shop before the ride. So tonight, Andy (no not that one,) Rob (that's a definite confirmed Rob not a David in disguise,) and I were led by the magnificent Major on his Boardman flying machine.

The route was excellent. Very hilly for vroom but also not just standard fayre, which is nice. The only bits I didn't like were the urban bits but you can always avoid towns. With only four of us we didn't really get the benefit of group riding and there was a bit of a wind bringing averages down.

Nice new continental Grand Prix 4 seasons

I decided it really was time to replace that tired old gator so I've upgraded to a Grand Prix 4 seasons. It's a 25mm again so with the relatively new 23mm gator on the back my unintentional mismatch continues. Andy (yes you this time,) at C&DCYCLES will be very proud of me as I managed to fit the tyre without the use of tyre levers, just like the pros do...well apart from it taking twenty minutes! First impressions are good, I think I like this upgrade. I will get a matching back one when the rear gator has had a bit more wear. The benefits are supposed to be the same puncture protection but a lighter tyre with more grip and lower rolling resistance.

Not much else to say apart from I pretty much know about the tour being a wet old affair on the cobbles and Froome dropping out making it the poorest British showing in years. No need to watch the highlights then! Sometimes bike friends can be a disadvantage!

Happy Pedaling 

A tale of two rides

This morning I had a lovely ride to work. Beautiful sunny day. I felt pretty fresh and wham it's a 6th place on a target segment. Looks like Andy was right I can get a top ten! Cycling is awesome.



This afternoon I left work in the rain having forgotten to take my rain jacket, I punctured about half a mile from home and was locked out when I got home! Cycling can suck!


One of the nicest things is I announced my puncture on bike friends chat and straight away people were trying to help or checking I was ok. Andy offered to come and pick me up! Good lads at C&DCYCLES!

I'm disappointed that my front gator has finally failed, I was beginning to think it was impregnable but unfortunately it was beaten by a piece of glass.

The cut gator

The offending piece of glass

Someone once told me that superglue in cuts can prolong the life of tyres. So I've superglued that hole changed the inner tube and re-inflated the tyre. Then I did some reading. It appears there are two schools of thought on the superglue issue. One says it works the other says it doesn't. I guess I'm about to find out. If it doesn't work that gator owes me nothing.

In other news it looks like some of the C&DCYCLES riders have had a great time following the Tour de France. Some good pictures on Facebook and our very own Jonesy is enjoying being a Tour maker. I'm looking forward to the highlights later. I like to record the highlights and watch them over breakfast the next day, well I used to record them but now ITV player works through my telly there's no need. Life really has changed from setting the VHS to record the channel 4 highlights.

For me this stage will always remain my favourite tour memory as Stephen Roche saved his yellow jersey with an epic recovery on L'Alpe d'huez

http://youtu.be/sQojh-wqL04

Happy Peddaling