Some cycling logs are waiting here. Maymyride have screwed up leaving me unable to upload 2 tracks. The app freezes when I attempt to log a fault ticket.
Both rides were in very cold conditions, there was ice on the ground but the sun shone.
6°C, gales from the northern approaches. Sunny.
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3352071103
That wind is just rude and annoying. Just when it thinks you aren’t looking, it grabs the handlebars and gives them a twist. Slogging into a head-crosswind, you sometimes have to lock one elbow simply to hold a line. The Moss flats offer no real shelter from the blast and the camber of the road amplifies the force. The curve is like an aerofoil which accelerates the air over the top. Staying on the crest is, therefore, more difficult. Though short, that was an intensive workout on the return leg. I saw no other cyclists.
5°C, light cloud and no wind.
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3348057034
This steel bridge is on my route to work. Today’s ride was more relaxed with enough time to stop for photos. The galvanized slats make a terrible noise as you ride over. The noise is so bad that your ears ring afterwards. I detest that bridge. Remarkable is how full the River Douglass.
Where are those overshoes, I really need them? With half of my stuff in boxes, there remain things I cannot find yet.
7°C, brisk W, white cloud to start a nice day
A familiar route to the machines.
Decoration.
Two panels are faulty in the hall walls.
The plaster has failed because of damp. looks like rising damp which is odd because the surveyor said condensation was the cause. The walls are inside the porch so protected from the weather. The surveyor suggested it may be a eased by better ventilation in the porch. To further add to the mystery, why is the side that receives the most sunshine also the most damp?
The two walls either side of the door are slightly detached with powdery plaster under the skim. I shall probably remove the plaster down to brick. Before re-plastering, I can paint a waterproof layer directly onto the bricks. But should I? Could the moisture barrier make the problem worse?
10°C, strong W, gusts to 45mph.
Cycling (twice) and indoor climbing.
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3329530504
Two rides today. One at dawn, the other at dusk. Both dry and very windy. No less fun though; at times, the road speed dipped so I did some sprints after the 10 miles warmup.
In-between, I took the kids climbing. They did some Grade 4 and 5s on the auto-belay. I haven’t used one before and found them less easy to trust than a person on belay. There is no speed control when abseiling back down. The device works like an inertia-reel seatbelt. The speed it releases is fixed, a little faster than my taste (and my inexperience).
I felt so rusty too, even my grip was marginal at times! Now, where is that grip exerciser thing? Also, I needed a refresher on rope handling, which came back very quickly. Next time, I will go by myself and hire shoes and consider buying a pair.
This morning’s outing included a severe buffeting by wind which at times whistled through the spokes. Deep section rims are a problem in strong cross-winds, there is a lot of correction to random steering shifts. On the Mustang bike, the rims are even deeper than the ones the fixed gear bike has.
My hopes for cycling this year are to develop stamina as good as 10 years ago. Coverall, a satisfying day.
8°C, light grey with minimal breeze NW. Dry too.
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3327217420
Okay, not very fast but the important point is – it felt right.
It’s funny how you can actually feel warmth at 8°C after days near to freezing. Some of this is the benefit of acclimatisation, some is not running the heating at home too high. I’m sure that people who live in hot houses feel cold more when outside.
Sunset was just, just perceptibly later today.
8°C, light W, dull and dry.
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3317449414
January is possibly the most miserable month of the year, but things can only get better. January is in competition with December, mainly because December contains the detestable Christmas stress fest.
Anyway, today I dragged out the fixie, dragged it over to the coast by dragging round the cranks. That wasn’t an easy ride despite the distance.
For all these decades of cycling, I’ve had a rule of thumb for warm-ups. It usually takes me 8 miles or half an hour to warm-up, whichever comes first.
After that stage, everything loosens up and I can ride all day. In previous years, when I rode long rides more often, there seemed to be another threshold too. Two hours in is usually a good time to take a break, maybe have a snack or even a cafe stop. The next stage could be really long, taking up to 70 or even as much as 90 miles. It was this phase that average speed was highest. Today was not a day like that.
Today, that threshold didn’t really pass. I decided after 10 miles, to ride home.
3°C still, grey, dry and cold
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3314266726
Everything I hate about january was found today. The worst feature was the dark, the day never really broke out of twilight all day.
At least the bike was good though the front mudguard gummed up with black mud. There may be room to adjust the stays. Dry mud is worse as it doesn’t wash out so easily.
Anyway, that’s the first ride of the year on the Arrow which is now regarded as a winter bike. It lay in storage last winter while I bought a house so there are minor faults from 2 years ago that I’d forgotten about. The chain is too short and a few other minors like the mudguard rubbing.
I have an idea for a change of handlebars too. The gravel bike can have new flared bars and its bars can refit onto the Arrow.
8°C, sunny with N breeze.
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3308972827
Very slow but no setback. Sometimes, when you return from illness you can undo some of the recovery but coming back too soon. By taking a flat route at a slow pace, I have avoided that.
The annual mileage for 2018 is only 3,600 which is lower than last year by 1,000. 400+ was lost to illness, 500 lost to DofE work.
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3294022513
Ill again. It started during this ride home from work. Shame because I was looking forward to it. The route that runs along farm tracks in the dark is quite an experience. If it wasn’t for the rain, it would have been a photo opportunity.
Was it worse because of the rain? Maybe, and getting cold at the end. The worst came after I got home. When it came to putting the bike away, the sky opened with a deluge. Anyway two nights followed with hot and cold flushes, no strength and a hacking brittle cough. The annoying bit is the brief time since the last heavy cold.
Five days later, I’m still laid up in bed. The cough remains as do the hot & cold flushes. This is definitely influenza.
13 days later, it’s just about gone
Micycle 