The memory remains....

Wow, that ride home was awesome. Ok so it was dark and it was pissing down but it was awesome.

Simply put, my ride was awesome because I caught and rode with a cyclists that has consistently kicked my ass for the last 2 years.

Back in October 2011, I wrote on this blog (really, you've been chatting shit for that long?!) about a cyclist that rode a bike similar to mine but rode like the freaking wind, I mean this guy was so consistently fast it was scary.

I got to a point recently where I could catch him on a climb (he's beatable on an ascent) but he'd beast me on the flat and I do mean beast me. This bothered me. I haven't really been trying to get faster but you don't want to stand still right? I just started to ride a different route, longer with more climbs.

I only generally ride the shorter route every now and again, usually when the weather is shit as its more protected from the elements or when I simply can't be arsed with the additional mileage.

Tonight was time to hit the short route. With pissing rain and a strong wind, a ride across the open expanse of Windsor Great Park really didn't appeal.

Then I noticed him as I was sat at a junction just over the Thames in Staines.

'Screw it, I'm not chasing him' was my initial thought. I could see him in the distance but wasn't chasing him down. It's Friday after all, after a week of riding my legs are toast.

He wasn't getting away but I wasn't gaining, I was happy with that. Then came Egham hill. Steep enough but short enough to not really matter, before I knew it I was riding on his wheel. Been here before though, I need to keep with him on the flats.....

And I did and he wasn't getting away and I was clearly stronger on the climbs. He knew this too.

We got to the lights at Wentworth golf course and we were level, I rode past him with an approving nod and a "hello mate".

Now I was leading, shit. I gotta step it up. I lead for about 5 miles, he didn't come past me. Finally, I was fast enough to stay with him. Now don't get me wrong, this wasn't easy, in fact, it's the fastest ride home I've done for, well on this route, ever!

I rode at the front on the hardest section of the ride, numerous small climbs on narrow roads with tree's acting as a canopy, proper dark too, cars far too close for comfort but I didn't care, I was leading.

We rode up the last notable climb into Ascot and at the top he passed me and gained 10 bike lengths instantly. I was ruined.

We stayed as this distanced through Ascot high street, I was too busy getting my breath back to care about the gap.

We reached the roundabout by Heatherwood Hospital level again, I was back in the room and no longer panting. I got up to stamp on the pedals and my left leg started cramping. Jesus, I haven't had cramp in my legs from riding for years.

And then my right leg, haha this was comical. I managed to spin off the cramp enough to pick up speed and hold his wheel on the short decent back to Bracknell.

My fastest ride and cramp in both legs but what a commute. Finally I managed to keep pace. It's only taken 2 poxy years!



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Hacked off

Summer bike or Winter hack?





My precious Cannondale. The one I needed the wife's permission for. The one that only see's the sun, never ventures out in the rain or muck.

The one I'd only ever upgrade if parts wear or break, no cheap fix here.My pride and joy.....you get the picture.





I keep it under lock and key and to be honest, rarely ride it. I've upgraded the wheels and added a white saddle (bad idea) put it back in the shed, awaiting summer.

Now it's my bloody winter hack, I hate using it but my wife tells me "it's only a bike". I hate seeing it like this and today's weather is the worse type for keeping a bike clean, wet and filthy.

The annoying thing is that I have the perfect winter bike, with mudguards and lights and I don't care about it as long as it works but it doesn't, it's buggered. Has been for about a month. Cash flow or the obvious lack of has kept it broken in the shed and kept me on the summer bike.




Finally I've bought all the parts I need and the winter bike is booked in with my LBS for 9:30am to get sorted. I can't wait to clean the summer bike and put it back safe and warm.And mudguards, god damn I've missed mudguards.

Trying to commute in England in February without mudguards is insane, ok it's not gonna kill you but bugger me will you get wet.

But it's soiled now, the summer ride will never be the same again now I know the bike has seen some abuse.

Every nut is rusty and caked in crap..... Ah well, it's only a bike....

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Certification

Yeah baby, this excites me! Can't wait to get my kit and get started.



You never know, this could be the start of something beautiful....


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Sky Ride Leader

Well why not?

It all started on a whim when I fancied a ride. Not fast, not specific, just a ride. I searched the Sky Ride website and found nothing in my area, well nothing I could be bothered to actually ride to anyway. So I thought I'd volunteer my services when I saw British Cycling wanted ride leaders in East Berkshire.

A full days training on a Saturday, that's all it took. It's not rocket science after all, the criteria is the ability to ride a bike and the want to be there and give something back. Thankfully, I fit the criteria.

Training was a mix of classroom sessions and practical, the classroom sessions being mainly road awareness and presence. The practical was more fun, almost teaching us how to ride a bike again, the point to make us aware of the need to deliver to the audience. I mean, you can't expect everyone to turn up in full Lycra with lid in hand and a quality road bike.

We took turns to lead the group around a housing estate, learning to ride for a group and managing the group as a whole. Quite different from my daily commute and riding for myself.

The difference from club riding is your responsibility for the group, you as a ride leader need to ensure they are safe, able and prepared. Assessing their ability prior to setting off.

I'm really looking forward to getting started, Ride Strong I recon, average speed 13-14 mph for a few hours, that's a slow pace for someone riding on the road regularly but it will be fun and help get my mileage up over the summer, not to mention, helping other like minded riders.

Did I mention you get paid? Doesn't matter, I'd do it anyway but win win right ?



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Point taken...

Now I am a 'break - fix' type of guy, if it works then I ain't touching it. 2 years I've had the Tricross and to be honest other than the addition of new tyres and some mudguards, the only thing I've changed in that time is the chain and the cassette.

That was near enough exactly a year ago. Now due to the addition in 2012 of my new 'summer bike' my Tricross handles only the shit weather, the pissing rain and the freezing temperatures, with zero maintenance from me, I literally add oil to the chain every now and again. I clean nothing. The 'summer bike' on the other hand looks like new as it only ever see's sunshine. I can count on one finger the amount of times it's been ridden in the rain, let alone anything worse.

This attitude has worked ok for me up until this point where I have now been bitten on the ass, royally. My gears have started to slip, no biggy, just adjust the barrel adjuster on the rear mech and sorted, only I can't as its stuck, it won't budge.

I play with front mech and gear cable to make sure both are working, hmmn that'll do. I continue to ride around the bikes frailties promising a gear service some time in the future, only the problem gets dramatically worse.

At that point were you just simply have to stamp on the pedals to put the power down to avoid imminent danger, the chain slips, again and again. This just happened to be on the busiest roundabout on my commute connecting the A30 to the M25, yeah right, the busiest motorway in the country. yay.  Thankfully the driver aiming at me could see my plight and allowed me the time to escape....

Fuck it, gotta stop putting this off and get the damn bike fixed. Visited the LBS who took one look at it and said, "right, new chain, new cassette, new chain rings, new jockey wheels". Chain has stretched, teeth on the chain rings are mullered and the jockey wheels look like your nan with her teeth out. Wicked.

Balls, I don't have the cash to replace the entire freaking drive chain, a stag do and 2 weddings coming up take preference. Serves me right really, 2 years of wear with nothing in the way of TLC is taking the piss a bit. " at least the summer bike looks pretty". Not anymore, tis now the only bike I can actually ride.

It pains me to do it but the newbie now has lights fitted and is ready for the rain (inserts sad face).

New Wheels (Ow Yes)

So almost inevitably, robbing my summer bike of its wheel's would result in me requiring a new set at some point, so what better time than now.

I've been looking for a while and narrowed my choice down to 3 sets of wheels from the same store. I wanted Wheels, rim tape and skewers when buying the wheels, other than that I didn't really have higher expectations, the least you'd expect really.

As my birthday and Christmas fall in the same month I always ask for vouchers to spend on my bikes, apparently I'm "boring" and "annoying" for wanting vouchers for the same retailer 2 years in a row, I on the other hand thought I was making life easier for all with my request. Don't ask, you don't get right? I don't want to break the bank for a wheel set but I do want something half decent for my money, anything up on the standard wheels that came with the bike would do.

Thank god for 'Price match'. I choose this set with the red decals listed at £219.99, as they'd suit the bike nicely, I'd have happily paid the asking price too until I remember what a buddy had told me about the sellers price match promise. I had to at least try it. I then found the same set listed here at £137.50. Jesus thats quite a difference.

Turns out with a bit of pleading and a very helpful member of staff (they don't like to price match under 30%) you can get a bargain. I ordered my new wheels at the knock down price.

What a bloody bargain and they come with Mavic branded tyres fitted, its their new 'tyre system' apparently. Like I should have known! I'm still chuffed I got the wheels at that price. Now I just need this rain to bugger off.....

2012's final blog (thank f**k for that)

1385 miles, now that is a long way.

1385 miles, that's the difference between my 2011 mileage of 3832 and my 2012 mileage of 5217

I started commuting to work on my road bike on the 28th of March 2011. Since then and to this day I have ridden a total of 9049 miles, DAMN that's a long way. Most of my ridden miles have been commuting miles, ironically October was the month I rode the most and August the least, seems I prefer to ride cold than warm. I certainly seem to be consistently faster when the temperature drops.

What of my 2012 goals? Hmmn, didn't really achieve what I set out too, It's the last day of the year and I still haven't ridden a century ride and I certainly ain't doing it now! My longest ride to date, that is in my life ever, is the 84 miles completed at the Meon Valley Riser. For 2013 I again hope to do a 100 mile ride, It's not that I don't believe I can, I know I can it's just the idea of cycling for potentially 7 hours or more, not particularly attractive that idea....maybe just the once then.

I've signed up for the 2013 Wiggle Up and Downs Sportive, ok so again not 100 miles but it's close enough at 96 and more to the point it's not flat, so more of a challenge right? Still not joined a club, I find the schedule of clubs a little hard to adhere too, I wanna ride when I wanna ride, not at 10am every Sunday, although I may have to change that attitude if I want to stop myself going insane over longer distance.

Thank god for having 2 bikes, if I hadn't then I'd have simply stopped riding in September this year when I realised I was riding on a cracked rim, queue a quick cassette/wheel change and I was back on the tarmac. I've gone through 1 set of wheels, 1 set of mudguards, 1 cassette, 1 chain, a handful of tyres and numerous inner tubes, not to mention the consistently snapping plastic tyre levers (really must buy metal levers next time).

I drunk a lot in 2012, not extravagantly but every weekend and in hindsight, probably just enough to keep me away from the bike at weekends. I'll be giving up the booze in the new year so I hope to see more weekend mileage and that ever elusive 100 mile ride come my way soon. Just the one last blow out to go.....Ow and I really must have a go at a club hilly challenge, really fancy that.....