
Col de Sóller after 25 hairpin climb.
14 to 28°C, w showers early on and then sun


Col de Sóller after 25 hairpin climb.
14 to 28°C, w showers early on and then sun

28°C full sun

Ridley Fenix, 11(cable) gears with disc brakes. Last year I had the Di2 electric shift version and this time – cable shift. I’d think I rather prefer this one. The shifts were crisp and perfect. There was much else to like too. Steering was nimble due to a short frame, to get the fit this one has a longish stem meaning it fit me well. As before, those brakes were amazing, they’d stop a car.
Today’s route was identical to last summer’s. I even called in the same deli for a snack at Port de Soller. Better though was riding without feeling ill. I doet up last august while struggling with an achey cold. The climbs are long slogs, hence the low average speed.
8°C, grey and dry with a brisk SE.

Kona Zing: Second ride feels better. This happens after a layoff.
10°C, bright sun but chilly.

A slow ride as I’m still recovering from a heavy cold. It affected two DofE trips, the White Peak on quite badly. On the first night, I woke with the shivers. That changing robe has been very useful.
I went out on the Zing after tweeking the gear indexing. I’ve got a work-stand to raise the bike. It’s much easier to get to the gears now. It is a £30 Aldi stand. It’s okay by not all the clamps are free from sliding when loaded. There are still a few cogs that are slow to shift even though the cable is new. Maybe change the sheaths next. If it still stick, then I give up, nothing can be done.
Mustang: grey damp and no wind

Pushed back the ride to get some maintenance done. The Zing has a new chain that I failed to fit. Shimano chains have a single-use pin to close the chain. I broke it. The Jake also has a new KMC chain which was easy to fit but there’s a problem. The cassette is worn out on about 4 cogs. It’s the original on a 2015 bike, so that’s a decent life. The jockey wheels were almost toothless. Changed them too.
Great, an hour’s work and now 2 bikes are unrideable. At least I got a run this morning.
16°C, occasional showers, low sun in strong SW wind.

Each time I ride the Zing, I think it’s the last ride this season. The weather has been surprisingly mild, 17°C today. The problem is that my winter bike is so heavy in comparison. The fixed far better (when the wind is light).

Back to form. Ran this morning which was rather nice. My knee hurt at one point so I walked it off for a hundred metres. It worked. The ride was near enough a summer average speed. Perhaps last week I was fighting something off, was that the reason for low speeds?

Kona Zing, 18°C, sunny but heavy rain in the last hour.
23°C, moderate NE breeze. Milky sun.

This could be my fastest ride of the year. Curious since I really struggled on the first ride when I got got home from Corsica.

Been out for a blast after working on the house windows all morning. Glad to get my cycling legs back after the last few rides. I was expecting to be faster after the GR20. But no.