Category Archives: cyclocross

Kona Jake

Slime and silt.

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8°C, strong SW, Clear start but clouding over.
I rode CX with MapMyRide+! Distance: 37.3mi, time: 03:00:08, pace: 4:50min/mi, speed: 12.4mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/889388491
Again, rode the cyclocross bike in the strong wind. The fixed gear is daunting on exposed roads like these, an easy decision.
After only three miles, a puncture. By the canal, there was signs of recent hedge trimming, and it was blackthorn. The have especially long thorns that do not know about Challenge Grifo tyres. I have given in to desperation. Eleven punctures in one month, can you blame me? So, I bought Slime inner tubes. Anyway, the puncture. Those tubes have self-sealing goo inside. So I stopped canal-side and got the pump. I blew the tyre back up, and almost unbelievably, it stayed up.
Riding on the beach seemed appealing this morning. Last week it worked well, so why not again?
I will tell you why not, silt. First it gummed up the chain-stays then the gears and finally, it shed the chain. Even the wheels were hard to turn.
There was plenty of driftwood to use. It took quite a bit of prodding before the biggest lumps dropped out. I must have looked like one of those crows doing IQ tests on TV. Well, a florescent crow, you know the ones.
The tyre pressure remained! In fact, I added more for the tarmac section, and return.

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This is the rear stays with most of the gunk removed.

Icey crust below, canal woodpeckers above.

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4°C, SW brisk, rain/sleet.
Rode CX with MapMyRide+! Distance: 21.4mi, time: 02:25:57, pace: 6:50min/mi, speed: 8.8mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/882936239
Eventful short ride.
Took the reverse canal route from Friday, my own tyre tracks are still there. The tyres broke a crispy thin ice on puddles and mud. After only 3 miles though, two punctures, both thorns. I then went to a cafe to warm up and patch the tubes.
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Another cyclist suggested Slime Tubes, it’s got to be worth trying.
Later, headed towards Cannock Chase through Armitage. That’s where the rain started.

Then, something strange. Riding under a low bridge, I had to duck down against the bars. But on emerging, suddenly ouch a stiff back- I pulled a muscle. That decided it, turn home. That’s when the sleet came down and wind picked up. So I put my head down and slogged on. Woodpeckers must live near canals, one sounded very close. There were also many dogs to give way to. Will it get too busy to use these routes in the summer?
With a wind like this, there should be a good draw on the fire at home. Though the miles are low, I looked forward to a warm log fire.

The patches held.

Canal gloop.

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I rode CX with MapMyRide+! Distance: 18.9mi, time: 02:15:16, pace: 7:10min/mi, speed: 8.4mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/881230961
Yesterday’s rain is soaking slowly into saturated ground. It’s deepest by gates and stiles where walkers have trod. These cycling shoes didn’t let me down. The only skid was on a wooden bridge all covered in slimy moss.

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The best bit was along a bridle path towards Wychnor. It looks like cattle land, though none were visible. Most of it was wet but rideable. Crossing points were deep mud, which on flat ground is more stable.
Weather looks unfavourable tomorrow.
Only 18 miles but it felt like more.

Ribble Estuary nature reserve.

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I rode CX with MapMyRide+! Distance: 60.5mi, time: 05:35:56, pace: 5:33min/mi, speed: 10.8mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/878561051
Had a grand day out in Lancashire. Saw many kestrels and oyster-catchers. That area by the Ribble estuary is utterly beautiful. In today’s light, it couldn’t look better.

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To the right, farmland, and left is a nature reserve. That’s where the oyster-catchers were in huge numbers, and other flocks that I didn’t recognise. On the north west horizon was Blackpool Tower; north, Lake District; and east, the Pennines.
I don’t really know how to compare the day’s ride with one on the road. 60 miles in five and a half hours is quite slow, but this wasn’t on tarmac. Riding cross is perhaps less demanding of the legs, but takes far more concentration.
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Towpaths and punctures.

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5°C, lighter, calm.
Unwanted side-effect, punctures. Just patched the tube that went down yesterday, it had two holes and needed two patches. One was a snakebite, probably from the moment the nail punctured and pinched the rim against the road. It’s not so obvious that the tyre is going soft on soft round.
In the meantime, both tyres on the bike have gone soft overnight.. At least two more punctures!
That averages out at nearly two per ride. Sigh.
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Tyre liners, change tyres or some of that goo that seals from the inside? What’s the best idea?

Dense fog.

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4°C, dense fog, no ice.
Rode CX with MapMyRide+! Distance: 38.9mi, time: 03:32:00, pace: 5:27min/mi, speed: 11.0mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/869121807
Horrible day for a road ride. Dense milky fog and cold. On the route to the canal start I crossed a few small groups of roadies.

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My conclusion from today is that cx rides are quite viable when otherwise I would have to return home. Canal towpaths, though a place to pick up punctures, are much safer than the road in poor visibility.
In all, I probably clocked up about 5 miles on tarmac. Just as well because the surfaces were so greasy and slippery.

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Today’s puncture was a nail, not quite what I expected on a canal but at least it happened near the end.

Mud and a dyke

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3°C, strong NW wind, Clear blue and dry.
I rode CX with MapMyRide+! Distance: 47.03mi, time: 04:16:06, pace: 5:27min/mi, speed: 11.02mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/862070367

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The canal section left me with a puncture to fix. I rode a good 2 miles before it needed a top-up. This tactic didn’t work for long, as ever. Deflation accelerated so the tube had to come out. Ironic because I stopped to chat to a guy who had just repaired a flat by the canal.
The calorie counter above may need some adjustment to account for the slow surfaces today. Average speed was only 10mph, about 5 lower than a road ride. At least the speedometer agrees. I shall write a post about this speedometer another day.
Anyway, I can now see why mountain bikers are often the last to change shorts for longs in the autumn. Off-road seems to offer the best shelter from cold wind; speed is lower too.
Maybe 6,000 miles this year is unrealistic.

Mud and sand.

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Rode kona CX with MapMyRide+! Distance: 42.30mi, time: 03:31:38, pace: 5:00min/mi, speed: 11.99mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/854663071
Slow average speed, but hey, it’s off-road. I took a canal towpath to to the Sefton Cross pennine route. It’s a disused railway line which runs up to Southport. Perfect terrain to try out my new cyclocross bike.
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Then on along Southport sea front to the north. At the end of the sea walk is a short track that usefully cuts out a busy roundabout. But I witnessed an unfortunate scene. A hawk, disturbed and took flight along a ditch, in its claws it carried the still live body of a songbird.
After passing the familiar landmark Martin Mere, I made my way back along the same canal towards the start. The bridge I left the water looked like the first one but led to a public footpath. I hope I was legal riding on that route between fields.
Negotiating paths like that demand non-stop concentration, especially the bit past The Saracen’s Head. I really didn’t want to fall in the canal in front of that audience. Next time, make sure your phone is in a waterproof bag.
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The whole route was within the bounds of familiar routes, but it felt like I was travelling on new territory. Often, I could not be sure where I was, which canal bridge was coming up or how far remains.