Author Archives: essiep

Cycling to recover from injury.

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14°C, grey, dry but very strong wind W then SSW.
I rode Arrow with MapMyRide+! Distance: 44.17km, time: 02:06:22, pace: 2:52min/km, speed: 20.97km/h.

http://mapmyride.com/workout/2587362901

Rather slow but there’s a reason for that. Yesterday, I developed a horrible, painful back injury. My lower back went into spasm and locked me into a corkscrew. I’ve had these, from time to time, all my life. I knew what to do.
I went for a bike ride. It was hard at first but I rode on slowly taking care at those times I needed to put a foot down. I headed out with a good tailwind to a cafe for some toast for lunch. During the return stretch, the wind had swung round to the south; again, in my favour. For the rest of the day and evening, the stiffness has gone and normality feels close.
Getting into bed will be slightly tricky, that’s a crucial time if it’s not to flare up again.

Ride on the beach.

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9°C, brisk W but dry at least.
Rode The Jake with MapMyRide+! Distance: 43.42km, time: 02:35:16, pace: 3:35min/km, speed: 16.78km/h.

http://mapmyride.com/workout/2580371377

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The beach at Formby shelves off at a very shallow angle to the west. It’s firm in parts and very soft in others. A few times I ground to a stop and at other times I struggled with the ripples. These were quite firm but steered the bike along the dominant line of the ripples. I found myself riding in arcs.​

This screen shot of Google Maps shows the track crossing blue sea. I hate to disappoint you, but the blue edge marks the average tide line. In other words, I didn’t really ride in the sea. Sorry.

Creaking Arrow.

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9°C, sunny with a light NW breeze.

I rode Arrow with MapMyRide+! Distance: 93.52km, time: 04:09:46, pace: 2:40min/km, speed: 22.47km/h.

http://mapmyride.com/workout/2560931983​

This one felt hard. Perhaps the last couple of slack weeks have hit back. Also, heading home meant going West which  means harsh sun in my eyes and a headwind. Too often, I needed to shield my eyes so I could see the road. A parked car could be hidden in that blaze of light.
That bottom bracket creaked enough to be an embarrassment, I avoided riding along with others for that reason. As the day wore on however, the noise abated. I don’t know why it did that.

More of the day casts long shadows in this season. To look away from the dazzling sun is to see vivid colours and sharp contrasts. I expect I’ll be craving that quality in a few month’s time. The photo above looks like mild HDR but it isn’t I did adjust for Curves and crop but that’s all. The sky really was a deep colour.

A damp patch.

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Warm, 18°C, windy with a few showers.
In one corner of my living room is a damp patch in the wallpaper. Coincidentally, it’s above a ventilation vent. It’s the vent that housed a wasps’ nest last year, if you remember. There is am easy way to investigate, take the vent out and have a look.
The result, one surprise and one confirmed suspicion. First, the surprise- I have cavity wall insulation. Having lived here for 20 years, I should have known.​​
I scraped out some mortar and pieces of brick. They must have been the means that carried water involved wall inner layer. The mortar was quite damp to the touch. Guilty as charged. As you can see in the photo, there is a stubborn piece that is tightly wedged in. It has refused to budge today, but I’ll have another go tomorrow.

…but is it enough?

Out, but not enough.

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12°C, Brian’s gale, sunny

I rode Mustang with MapMyRide+! Distance: 26.93km, time: 01:28:01, pace: 3:16min/km, speed: 18.36km/h.​

http://mapmyride.com/workout/2537231175

Quick canal route to clear the figity feeling and fizzy legs. My weekly milage is significantly lower currently compared to normal October weeks. It’s time to start night rides.