Kona Jake, 17°C, light cloud, light NW breeze.
After work ride. I headed up the moor towards Winter Hill. The total distance is not great but many of the inclines are. The Jake is a good climber with the right gears, weight and stiffness. I gave the path across Spitlers Edge but stopped at the 2nd gate (No Bikes).
21°C, some sun, but mostly drizzle with heavy pulses. Moderate S.
A nice warm start, but drizzle set in. From the south. There were pulses heavy enough to make bubbles in puddles. I was tired at the end but after the last week, that’s not surprising.
Up early, as I do in high summer. This was the fastest yet, helped by using proper running shoes. Ideally, I’d like a.oair that are a big less squishy and more springy. I don’t need to build stamina this way, it’s all about building resilience in my legs.
Watched the airshow for a while. From the back garden, Hawker Hurricane, then at the seawall: Mig 15. Then ride through the brown and stopped to see a P51 Mustang. That was great, I loved the sound. It makes a whirring as well as the clattering rumble from the 27 litre engine. It looked fine in silver and red livery.
Sounds ideal this; spent the afternoon killing around on the grass in the garden. The deep cerulean blue sky was perfect and unblemished. Occasionally, it was cut by a vapour trail or a pair of buzzards. Eventually, I rode back home. This time, the route was mostly towpaths and then gravel. Near the end, I grew tired of the vibrations, especially the last 5 miles. I shall sleep deeply.
17°C, moderate NW.
24.8 kph (mean) is quick for me, a bloke in his late 50s. I’ve barely ridden the Paddy Wagon this summer but I jumped on it today. With little time, I put the hammer down and rode swiftly. This is possibly the fastest ride of the year by me.I ran this m
I ran this morning too!
17°C, stiff W breeze, dry and sunny.
This week I have mostly ridden the CX. More gravel roads in gorgeous sunshine and dry. Everything about the bike feels right, except it hasn’t got a working speedo. Part of me doesn’t miss that.
17°C, light S. Lots of sun.
Something bit me on this ride. I didn’t really feel it but my lip swelled up as I rode. During the tricky part of the embankment where I couldn’t let go of the bars. I did get a quick swipe but thought nothing of it. Towards the end, it looked like a Botox failure (mind you, botox always seems to look wrong).
Another thing I brought home was the smell of cow maure. The nature reserve allows cattle to graze the other side of the embankment. One part of the embankment was thick with dung and no way to get past to avoid it. My shoes and the tyres were caked in it. that suff is very difficult to wash off.
17°C, 50% cloud, light S wind.
Today, I combined several gravel style routes to make up a 2 hour outing. The tracks were dusty but it was well worth it.
16°C, moderate SW, full sun.
That was refreshing! After supper, the sun was glorious so out ce.the Jake CX from the shed. It’s got a new headset from Hope and a new bottom bracket. Wow, that made a difference. It’s so silky and light at the front end. Next job ought to be the wheel bearings. The Chaim has plenty of life.
18°C, light SW. Sunny
My old shoes for the summer bike were Carnac. They’ve lasted a decade but I’ve noticed a waggle of my left knee which has reduced down-force. They must have lost their shape over the years and it’s ruined my cadence. Now that’s all fixed. I had to stop 4 times to make adjustments to the shoe-plates but now, all is good.
Apart fdrom this, several repairs are complete this week on the Kona Jake CX. It has a new Hope headset and Shimano bottom bracket. I’ll report if I notice any difference in handling. The wheel bearings still need doing.
In a way, this marks half-way. Milage so far 3,152km, I make that 1,940 miles. Milage is down while working on DofE because that’s many weekends where I can’t ride.
24°C, full sun, 0 cloud, dry and close.
What an excellent day out. Okay, my legs complained about doing another 50 two days after the previous. Conditions were perfect. Warm days like this cause quite a thirst. On the return, I was stuck for somewhere to get a refill. then I spotted a standpipe in a driveway. It didn’t look like anybody was home so I sneaked in and got a litre. that saved the day.
Micycle 