-2°C. Snow soon.
A cold week with a front that wants to push it away as much as we all do. There will be snow, but probably not enough to close work I think. There are many hopeful souls out there though.
I’ve been on my turbo, that signifies the end of the longest lived cold I can remember; the despair. 17th of January and I have not ridden a bike this year yet.
1°C, clear & still
Back to work tomorrow, energy is returning along with my voice. Out goes the despair of getting another damned cold straight after the previous one.
Half an hour on the turbo plus some weights and stretches, that did nicely. Shame the mild winter has given way to such hard frost and ice.
Racing bike repairs are under-way: new headset= in, new pedals= on.
The wheel rebuild awaits, I have to post that one off though.
My Commuting bike could do with a new saddle, only because I don’t like this one. It’s not the right shape. I spend enough hours on it to easily justify the cost- about £45.
7°C, clear, cold wind from sea.
Cycling: ~4,409 miles.
Fewer miles than I hoped for due to several problems-
I want to clear 5,000 miles in 2013 (by as much as a thousand miles to make up for 2012). To this end, the summer bike needs a good overhaul to avoid mechanical problems and ensure that it’s more fun to ride.
This point generates another list for January-
Not too much cost, but quite a long turn-around while it’s away at the Campagnolo service center. No need to ride it until March though.
7°C windy, showers.
Not again: less than a week after the last cold, I get the next one. This is all sore throat and malaise with a bostin’ headache. This is where the best laid plans run aground: I could have clocked up another 200 miles and potentially breached the 5,000 mile mark for the year.
But no, not this time.
7°C clear windy. CK:36
Thinking ahead to a New Year’s resolution. I haven’t quite completed 5,000 miles this year for the first time in I don’t know when..
There’s good advice on use Bikeradar site, in short-
By Easter, be back to 70 mile rides, like I used to.
So does all this sound like a New Year’s resolution? Maybe, but why wait another week? Today should be clear to go out for a few hours.
Anyway, I ventured out and did 36 miles but rain got heavy in the last 10
Rain.
Another one done, now we can get on with enjoying this winter holiday.
7°C, rain coming.
Venture out: under the threatening skies. A short ride can be just the thing to clear out the tail end of a snotty virus. Decision is: do I change gear to the 17t?
later: well, I went and the rain was as predicted- steadily increasing from drizzle to light rain. Cycle tracks were under an inch of water for some stretches. Water sprayed up from the front wheel onto my left foot. Why does it do that, why not both feet the same?
I got back feeling okay but with a rather cold left ankle.
24 decent miles done.
I can tell that I’m out of shape, the recovery took longer that and 24 mile ride deserved. Perhaps post-viral effects at play. In summer months, 24 miles would seem barely worth the bother of getting kitted up. The best of times, a 60 mile ride leaves no recovery after-effects either.
-3.5°C, clear + hard frost.
Always the hardest week, next week we stop for Christmas.
Sudden temperature drop, a throaty cold and regular exhaustion. I feel the cold more when I haven’t ridden. Shame the conditions are possible, the virus impossible.
So zero miles to add from this week to a relatively low mileage year. I have only clocked up about 5,000 miles this year on the 3 bikes. Maybe a new year’s resolution idea there?
This morning, remaining coals in the grate still have warmth.
7°C. Some rain, sun too.
A mending weekend: TV, laptop, bike, smoke detector, hair, shelves
TV makes a short high buzz with a few minutes of changing channel or starting a video. One web forum sort said unplug it for at least 4 hours to reset it. So far, no better, possibly getting worse.
Bike: has a new tyre to replace the one that gave trouble on Friday. It’s all shiny and clean now.
Laptop: frequently drops the internet connection. The router is okay, the desktop pc, phone and DVD player all work properly. Again, the web forums say install new network card drivers. Done, and it’s better but still cuts sometimes.
Not the best way to spend a December weekend. Cycling is the best but I have a cough and listless.
So, housemaking it is.
4°C, NNW. brisk.
Twist: I set off 15 mins to make up for the strong wind. Not ten minutes into my ride to work, the bike grinds to a halt. The bunge cord had wrapped itself round the cogs. It took ages to pull the shredded fibres out.
Hiss: once back on the road I set a pace to pull back the lost time. Six miles later the front Tyre started to feel soft. Great, a puncture. Only a few miles from work, I decided to blow up the tyre and ride on before it goes back down.
Thump: fixed the tube at break and set off at 5. The tyre wasn’t seated properly, or so it seems. Each turn made a thump, it’s got a sort of flat spot, not the rim, the tyre.
Odd, nervous miles. Please don’t blowout.
Micycle 