Category Archives: Cycling

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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29um,

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16C, no wind, feels warmer.
29miles fixed.
Back on the bike. it’s been a week since the last ride, and three weeks since that cold came on. That makes today’s ride a recovery one. They are characterised by a feeling of sluggishness. You have to push in an unnatural way.
Hay-fever is in full force. It must look like I am crying.
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The flats behind Churchtown in Southport. I like this area, big skies.

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Bumbus nesting.

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21C, no wind, few slow clouds.
Rode 8speed, Distance: 32.91mi, time: 02:16:09, pace: 4:08min/mi, speed: 14.50mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/590941255
Another slow ride; I bet this feeling drags on for another week. The sun shone brightly though.

Meanwhile on the home front- my immediate neighbours warned me about a wasps’ nest in my roof. Today it became clear that they are not wasps but bees. White-tail bumble bees. I hope the summer works out well for them.
Last year, there was a similar nest. It was ousted by wasps though, which seemed a pity.
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Try a ride today.

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14°C, light showers later. No rides for over a week now. That cold turned into a bit of a chest infection. Typical After vast amounts of sleep, I will try to shift the remains of this cough with a short ride.

later: Rode Fixed-Distance: 19.27mi, time: 01:13:23, pace: 3:48min/mi, speed: 15.8mi/h. http://mapmyride.com/workout/582229249 image
Also, called in on Formby Cycles to oggle at the carbon racing bikes. There are quite a few at reduced prices that feel as though they weigh nothing. Be careful when you pick one up, they are so light you might fling them across the shop.

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Not the same this year.

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15C, sunny, wind has dropped.
Rode: 36 miles today. Things have changed this year. I ride more on work nights, but the usual surge of energy and enthusiasm has not taken over this time. Something has changed and I am feeling for what it may be.
Rosie leaving still seems the most likely reason. Annoyingly, I can’t be sure. The house feels wrong without a dog. There is no curious wet nose pressing at the gap as I open the door to come in. No-one to think of as I potter about the house, no daily visit to the local field. I don’t know how the juvenile oak tree getting on in the spring light.

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