Category Archives: Cycling

Less than good.

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24C, evening sun, NW wind.
Hire bike– took it out for a spin to check it out for fit and adjust.
Not a successful ride- at about 4 miles out, both tyres punctured. The front went flat quickly, the back waited until I finished fixing the first. Good that the cycle-hire have me 2 tubes and a folding tyre. I needed both.
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The pump supplied was not good enough to get these tyres up to a safe pressure.

Two punctures and a nervous ride back did not make for confidence for tomorrow. I want to do a big ride inland and make a day of it. I hope all will be well.
Tracked with MapMyRide! Distance: 11.96mi, time: 48:51, pace: 4:05min/mi, speed: 14.69mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/664553703

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Dragonflight.

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Wheat, nearly ripe.

The same field,

22°C,light N breeze, bright sun.
Tracked ride with- MapMyRide! Distance: 34.1mi, time: 02:14:53, pace: 3:57min/mi, speed: 15.2mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/657090975
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Dragonflies, dozens were on the wing today. Is there any poetry in the way they look like antique biplanes, these fabulous creatures from a time long, long before?

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Service race-8

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24°C sunny, no breeze.
Yesterday’s ride was no twithout problems. At 45 miles, the gear change became heavier and sticky. Up-shift was unreliable but I knew what it was. Out of sight, inside the cable the wire was frayed. It snags and forced me to double-shift and back for the rest of the day. With experience, I knew the fault immediately.
Once opened up, it was clear. A single strand of wire in the cable had coiled up inside the sheath.
Today, I fixed it and changed the cable route too.

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I have been looking at new bikes too. There are two complete bikes that fit my needs and size. A Kona Jake and a Raleigh Revenio. Both are cyclo-cross bikes with disc brakes. I want more reliable braking in rain. Normal brakes are poor when the rims are wet. Discs should solve that. These two makes are suitable because the top-tube length is right for me (22.5″ or 60.5cm).
I hate short frames. In the 1990s, top tubes were mostly 21.5 inches for all frame sizes. That is mad, the size should be in proportion to the frame size; not fixed to suit the brazing jig.
In the mid 90s, I had both my made-to-measure frames built with 23″ top-tubes. At the time that was the only way to get a frame that fits me. These days, there is another choice: off-the-peg.

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100 with two diversions.

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24C max. N breeze. Sunny start and end, cloud in between.
Tracked with MapMyRide! Distance: 101.85mi, time: 07:13:05, pace: 4:15min/mi, speed: 14.11mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/654671465

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I couldn’t see how deep this flood was. In this situation, it’s a good idea to wait for a car to drive through, that would show how deep the water is. Two cars appeared, but each stopped for a long time then turned around. They daren’t try it either. The water stretched from that left hedge and over the R. Anker on the right into the wheat field to the right. If I could predict the highest part of the road’s camber, then a ride through is possible. The edges of the road were completely hidden so I scrapped the idea.
I went along the A5 for a few miles instead. What a horrible road to ride on.
The other diversion was to avoid the traffic diverted from the closed A38. Presumably, there had been a smash in the middle afternoon.

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15.3

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22C, milky close, rain to come.
The most annoying punctures, more annoying than the other annoying punctures happen at home. This one hissed itself flat when I pulled the pump head off the value. The effort of flicking that lever and pulling it off after blowing up to pressure has split the tube at the value base.
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And on the ether hand, my weight is coming down. Cycling is more fun when I weigh less than 14st.7. For the last month or two, I have been over 15st. I topped 15st.7 which is way too much.
I blame snacking and no twice daily dog walk.
Parti-poodles look like a good choice. I may even get a lad next time.
Cycling-

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Fixed the longest.

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18C, N breeze, bright sun.
I rode fixed- Distance: 72.17mi, time: 04:42:03, pace: 3:54min/mi, speed: 15.3mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/626397815
This is most likely my longest ride on a fixed gear bike. I sometimes claim that riding fixed is worth about 10% distance on top of a geared ride. Also, I got up Bannister hill without too much difficulty. I got over the top gasping, but not painfully so. Not bad when I am still over 15 stone.
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A great day in the saddle.

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No wonder!

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15°C, heavy rain, dramatic thunderstorm.

No wonder I was tired yesterday. This week, I have ridden nearly 200 miles.week'sRides27june14 I decided to take the day off the bike today and drive to work.
There is no certainty in my mind, that I have shed any weight. I am carrying about 3/4 stone more than my ideal summer weight. When I am under 200 pounds, cycling is so much more fun. I whiz along and enjoy the hills more. Last weekend’s 80 miles was a good distance, but the speed was relatively low. I could have ridden a century if there was no reason to worry about work on Monday.
The summer will, no doubt, offer chances to do some century rides.

Midsummer dreams.

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Rain, after 2 weeks of dry.
June dreams. My curtains are not dense enough. These early light mornings spoil sleep for many, me included. This week included the earliest sunrise of the year. There is a bonus, I often wake remembering dreams. It’s quite rare for me to be aware of dreams. Sunrise and the dawn chorus interrupt the usual sleep pattern. However, dreams are quite a revelation. I better not post details here though.

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Picture– taken on a bike ride home. This has been a high milage week for me, in excess of 180 miles. Quite a lot outside holiday periods. My legs are getting sore.

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Long, slow and hot.

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23C, still and sunny.
Rode summer bike: Distance: 79.75mi, time: 05:23:29, pace: 4:03min/mi, speed: 14.8mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/617338239
Passed through Heather with a tall oily black column of smoke from the north. It looked as if it came from a farmyard near the open cast quarry. Watching the billowing, almost solid looking forms developing from the deep orange flames was strangely fascinating.
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later, on mile 68, I overtook some portly blokes on bikes who were weaving about noticeably. I gave then a wide berth. They startled me after a few minutes by passing me at speed. They still rode bow-legged on their basic looking mountain bikes. But there was something different about them, they made a whirring noise and had huge front hubs. They were on electric bikes! Both caught up with other similar looking men who were also distinctly fat.
I would be impressed if the bikes could charge up on descents, or from rider’s effort. It would be great if they had started the ride with no charge today.
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Here is another view of the fire from about 3/4 mile.
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Steam-punk.

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Rode fixed: Distance: 46.23mi, time: 02:50:29, pace: 3:41min/mi, speed: 16.27mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/608547833
Had quite a pacey ride today after a sluggish morning.

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This is a picture from a school trip last Tuesday. Birmingham museum has a range of Victorian, steam machines. Currently, this stuff is quite fashionable- steam-punk. The style appears in another graphics andgame design. Games like Bioshock make it a central feature. I have to admit, there is something appealing about the hand-made look of brass and iron components.
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