Clieves-Eight, x2

7°C, brisk SW, mostly clear with some showers.
I rode Fixed Paddy-Wagon with MapMyRide+! Distance: 9.60mi, time: 36:30, pace: 3:48min/mi, speed: 15.78mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/1350870575
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Not much time, so had a quick blast with the fixed. Cold wind blew from the southern approaches, on a short one, that doesn’t really figure.
Today has not been an example of a well used day. This ride did blow the cobwebs away. Without cycling, I would have lost my marbles long ago.

Bannister Hill, 9.30″

22°C, clearing. Perfect.
MapMyRide! Distance: 39.40mi, time: 02:21:42, pace: 3:36min/mi, speed: 16.6mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/327169155
Yesterday- broke my best time up Bannister Hill, today, broke it again. The strategy today was to keep up the pace after pud summit to High Moor which is the end of the Mapmyride climb. All this was done on the 42×16 Fixed Gear.
A fixed would make an excellent hill-climb bike for those end-of-season hill races. That is when you have carefully chosen the gear for if specific climb. This ride needs a gear that is not too low to take advantage of some false flats where you can build up speed.
Overall, the conditions were perfect and my fitness- much improved.
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I have only just found how to take a screen-capture from this phone; so here, at last is a hill profile.

Parbold hill

12°C , brisk westerly, light cloud. CK55 miles.
Saturday ride on the fixed, a good few hours ride that started with some difficulty- perhaps I didn’t have enough for supper before.
Anyway, I got up Parbold hill on the 42×16 gear without stopping. While not a very blog-worthy point, I get a lot of satisfaction from this first. Last winter, I could only make the summit with the last part on foot. Then in the 17 tooth gear I gasped to the top.
It seems that my physical energy has been liberated by that drop in work-stress.
Ride profile