Monthly Archives: June 2011

Somewhere over the rainbow

“The rule is, jam tomorrow and jam yesterday – but never jam today”…

If you think rain, and not jam, and the fact that frequently that’s not true either since rain today is equally likely…and you find yourself on a sunny Saturday morning without a ride planned, there is really but one choice ahead of you…

OK, yes, I’m riding tomorrow. But that’s going to be more like canoeing, and there’s a waste not want not principle to be adhered to. Besides which there were several birds around, and a ride sounded like a good all encompassing projectile. It would replace a likely to be tedious gym session, get me out of the house, and more importantly still get MiniMe out of the house! There is this theory that he’s less likely to be objectionable if he’s worn out… 😉

So we went for a ride. Following the last two successful rides, it was time to increase the mileage if not the gradient, so I took my usual training loop and abbreviated it somewhat. Riding with MiniMe is hard work. I have to pay attention to all the usual stuff for both of us, as well as to what he’s doing. I think he enjoyed this ride more though – it’s a more scenic route. Up to Winscombe and down the hill, round to Loxton, over the Levels to Rooksbridge and beyond, to Mark, and home via Chapel Allerton and the Wedmore Road. Somerset was busy being sunny, scenic and still, pretty much ideal cycling conditions really. A tad too much traffic though, not good for his nerves or mine!

If you consider that this ride was more than 50% longer than his previous rides, and also that he did it faster, you can see how much progress he’s making. I think we reached his current limit though, as he did get tired, but he also developed a really painful back as his stem is too long and over-extending that far for that long is not good. I need to do something about that sooner rather than later then – *note to self*.

One of the main things we need to work on is parallel feet – as his tend to be a bit splayed out. This will be easier when he gets into cleats but we’re not rushing that. He also needs to work on keeping his line, and on indicating, but he’s doing really really well :).

Having said all that, I’m reminded that there’s a reason I never went into teaching. I’m doing my best, but my patience is a little limited when I’m aware I should be training for other things…and it’s sunny, and my wheels want to go ’round…(it’s them, not me, honest!). It’s also hard to let him draft me to make it easier when he’s tiring, because his speed isn’t constant and neither is mine – I get distracted and speed up! I guess we’re both learning 🙂

Cycling time: 1:42:06 hrs
Distance: 23.36 miles
Avs: 13.6 mph (13.2 for him)
ODO: 8831 miles

Sleeping Satellite

Sometimes the planets just align your way. Hey, it made a change from the usual “I love it when a plan comes together” reference. I could have blamed ley lines, or horoscopes you know. I’m choosing to go with cosmic coincidence because I can ;).

Today’s plan was to do an hour flat with Mim – who’s racing at Ilton tonight – and then an hour of hillier stuff by myself. Considering the end of the likely loop, that left me going up Cheddar Gorge which is fine, but not exactly a challenge. My mental meanderings had considered going up the big hill at Rodney Stoke but that wasn’t going to be practical…

…until you find yourself half way ’round the Nyland loop with Mim doing sprints on the straight bit and you’re headed in the right direction and…well…there you are. Planets in a line. Pointed in the direction that you kinda wanted to go in in the first place. I believe a plan just came together *grin*.

So we parted company as she turned tail and headed for home, leaving me free to climb mountains at my own pace. OK, it’s not a mountain, it’s a very big hill. The ACG went up it not so long back and I have to say that it felt just as hard today though it’s just possible I went up it faster this time. It’s a long slow gets steeper at the end slog. Did I mention that hills that get steeper at the end should be banned? If I didn’t – they should! I was glad I’d taken my arms off at the bottom, and was just as glad to have them to put back on again not long after I’d reached the top as it was a tad windy and most definitely chilly up there. Still, I slogged my way up there, so I felt like I’d earned myself a little fun, and I took myself across some of the nicer roads over the top and turned left to go past the Castle of Comfort. I still think that’s a great name for a pub, although I’m guessing that whilst teetotal, I may well find it less comforting than usual…

Anyway, back to the ride. Now if you’re familiar with the area, you now know where I’m heading…and if you’re not, you can check out my route here. Yep, time to go down Burrington Combe. Where I did some serious speed, didn’t get my braking quite right, but did nail the bends. ‘Rah! Much much fun *flies in teeth* :).

On the road towards Churchill some (ooh, I’d love to use a proper rude word here but will restrain myself) eejot in a silver saloon was apparently desperate to get past me, with traffic coming the other way, and came past me unexpectedly and SO close that he triggered my involuntary expletive reflex… I arrived at the crossroads to discover him was sat waiting at the lights, so as to turn right. So that got him a long way then. I was going straight on so pulled up in the lane next to him shaking my head in admonitory fashion. Bet he was a tad worried what else I might do…but other than that I ignored him. And got to pull away before him since the right turn is a filter and straight on gets priority. Which wasn’t at all funny. Much. :P.

From there it was straight along to Sandford, up the hill to Winscombe, and then up the even bigger Winscombe Hill to earn my flying downhill home 🙂

Cycling time: 2:03:04 hrs
Distance: 29.99 miles
Avs: 14.5 mph
ODO: 8808 miles

After last night’s MiniMe training ride I went to the gym and did an hour’s interval training on the bike, which involved a lot of being out of the saddle. Clearly my knee does not like that as today, even with preventative pain killers taken as advocated by my doctor, it was twingeing. So I guess, since it’s the second time that that’s happened, I’d best not do that again. Not the day before a ride anyway… Still, other than that it was a good ride. Not maybe as fast as it could have been but there you go :).

I feel the need, the need for speed…

Time to pick myself up, after the Dragon Ride fiasco, and get back on the bike. To be fair I’ve been training at the gym, thanks to the less than ideal weather, but today was the first time back on the bike. I didn’t even have my usual rest day on Monday as I didn’t feel like I’d earnt it. I know – that’s not at all logical :(.

Today doesn’t really count in some respects, as it was a MiniMe training ride *grin*. In fact it was almost identical to last week’s ride, although, possibly due to the nasty wind, he seemed a bit slower this time ’round. Apparently he was less tired both during and after though which is good because maybe that means next time I can make him go further. Or up a hill *grin*.

Cycling time: c1:00 hrs (my computer wasn’t hitched up properly to start with)
Distance: 13.2 miles
Avs: 12.7 mph
ODO: 8779 miles

However when you compare the stats he turns out he was actually a bit faster! I shall have to apologise to him for suggesting otherwise. I think it must have just been me finding it harder to keep to his speed, and to resist the urge to go hurtling off down my favourite straight bits! I can’t help it – it’s the new wheels! 😉 Anyway he was definitely a bit more confident, a bit more stable, and a bit less accident prone, so I think we can safely say we’re making progress :).

While I’m here – hello to any new readers I’ve picked up courtesy of my Dragon Ride rant, for which I still make no apologies. Welcome! :). GB and I have both emailed the organisers and have heard nothing in response, and all the website has is some blurb blaming the timing failure on the timing company whilst not addressing any of the other issues which they surely must be aware of by now! We are not amused…*grrrr*.

However, whilst I shan’t be letting that drop, I have other fish to fry. There’s something very nice about knowing that every weekend for the next few involves cycling. This weekend is Bristol’s Biggest Bike Ride, the following is the Somerset 100, and then it’s the Dartmoor Classic which is looking fairly hilly…*gulp*. That takes care of June then :). Of course, that said, I can virtually guarantee that the sun won’t shine until at least July so I hope none of you have barbeques, summer parties or weddings planned. If you’re desperate I can be paid to stay home…my rates are very reasonable 😉 .

Wiggle Dragon Ride

Are you ready for a rant? Because you’re sure as eggs gonna get one…

We arrived at the queue for the car park at 7:15am, on schedule for a c. 8.00am start as planned. And so it begins…

It took about 45 minutes to get into the car park and parked.
I then had to queue for 20+ minutes to use one of the 4 toilet paper free portable loos. (for 4000 riders…)
We got to the massive queue for the start at 8:36am.
And we did not get going until 9:45am. That’s 2 1/2 hours all in all. Un bl**dy believable.

Oh, but it gets worse.

They’ve changed the route. Yes the new seaside bit is very pretty, and the route is relatively flat for the first 1 1/2 hours or so, which is good for running in the legs. But there really aren’t any hills until you get to the big one, and as a result it just wasn’t half as scenic as previously. Lots of nothingy towns, a bit too much traffic, and not much to look at. I found myself looking forward to the big climb – the Bwlch. Having been up it before I was prepared for it, and I did a storming job going up it. I was really pleased with myself – I proper powered up it, and even left GB behind. I even had a chat to Howie from Cyclosport who I met on the way up. So I got to the 2nd foodstop just past the top with a grin on my face, despite the rain which was starting, and GB arrived shortly afterwards. I queued for the one loo, and in the meantime a yellow Mavic support car went past which, now we look back on it, must have been the broom wagon because…

…when we got on our way and to the route split just down the road we were told it was closed! Take the Medio Fondo route, or if you insist on taking the Gran Fondo, hand in your number, oh and by the way they’ll be taking the signs down. Apparently 1.30pm was cut off, so we must just have missed it – thus adding insult to injury. So we took the shorter route rather than risk it leaving us around 20 miles to do if that, and descended the hill in the by now pouring rain. My 200km ride had turned into a 120km one that wasn’t even that hilly.

I was, and am, absolutely furious, as well as very disappointed. I had presumed that due to the disastrous start that any cut-off times would be adjusted accordingly. More fool me hey? I have NEVER been cut off, or swept up by the Broom Wagon, and I’ve now done 25+ sportives. As you’ll see, my average speed today was much faster than usual, so it’s not like I was even being a slow rider.

So, fueled by anger and indignation, having vented somewhat, and with around 12 miles to go, I decided I would see how fast I could get to the end. And I flew home! I totally kicked ar*e. GB followed suit, and we had quite a posse flying along behind us. At speed! Anger is good ;). Oh, and my new wheels – I think I’m going to divorce hubby and marry them *grin*. They are just amazing. Faster, more responsive, the tyres are grippier…

Thus we arrived back at the start, complete with amusing sprint finish, but I’m fairly sure my timing chip wasn’t working – no beep, although by then I was past caring.

We parked up by, as it turns out, Ride HQ, so I thought I might as well do the organisers the courtesy of making my feelings known in person. And was essentially told that well, they’d had more riders than ever before, we should have been there earlier, and that’s just the way it goes… Not so much as an apology. *speechless*.

Well if that’s the case, then they manifestly can’t cope with that number of riders! I have done the Dragon 3 times now, and I will NEVER be doing it again. Nor would I recommend it to anyone else. It is the only ride I have ever had to queue in such a way to start for. And apparently not getting to the cut off point in time is MY fault?!! The route used to make up for the event’s shortcomings but I don’t think that’s even true now.

I’d have hung around for a coffee – but there was a queue…

Cycling time: 4:16:52 hrs
Distance: 71.09 miles
Avs: 16.5 mph
ODO: 8766 miles

If you want positives, and they are few and far between today – I give you my ascent of the Bwlch, my descents, and my sprint at the end. None of which have anything to do with the organisers. The Wiggle Dragon Ride recently attained UCI Golden Bike World Series status for 2012 – and I think it should be taken off them pronto! I’d like my £32.00 back please, since I sure as eggs didn’t get what I paid for.

*still fuming*.

If you’d like a list of vocabulary I would like to use, today’s entry is brought to you by the words “fiasco, shambles, farcical”. Hubby reckons I should sign this Apoplectic of Axbridge…and he’s probably not far wrong…*grrrr*.

PS: Regardless of how long I had to queue, the timings should mean that travelling at a reasonable average speed you should be able to start at the latest time allowed and make the split before the cutoff time… Today I was going faster than I have at the last two Dragons, and it’s never been a problem before. Missing the cutoff is why I’m quite so mad…

Now the day is over, night is drawing nigh

Thanks to the wonders (!) of half term, training has been all but absent this week. I’d like to say this was tapering, which, if I hadn’t merely replaced riding with sessions at the gym, it would be. However I did and it wasn’t. Well let’s face it, that would have been a tad out of character, n’est-ce pas?

However this evening I did manage to get out on the bike for a couple of hours with Mim. Well, as if I needed an excuse, hubby adjusted my gears for me last night as I wasn’t able to get into bottom of top (if that makes any sense) and I wanted to check that everything was in working order. Which, after initially being a bit cranky (ha ha) it was.

We did my usual flat training loop with Nyland tagged on. It may have been sunny and hot, but the wind is omnipresent these days and was proving really hard work as I set off for Mim’s house, so much so that I wasn’t really looking forward to the ride. As a concession to the direction of the aforementioned wind we did the loop clockwise, so as to maximise opportunities for it to be a help not a hindrance. Which seemed to work. Furthermore I think that, as the sun slowly dropped towards the horizon, the wind level dropped a bit too.

So as it turns out it was a gorgeous couple of hours. The bugs proliferated as we rode, providing some interesting dietary supplementation. The views were crystal clear in the low sun as the shadows stretched. The conversation was constant so the wheels and the miles flew by. The roads were quiet. All was well with my world because I was on my bike and it rocks :).

Cycling time: 2:04:22 hrs
Distance: 32.4 miles
Avs: 15.7 mph
ODO: 8694 miles

OK, so I guess the wheels weren’t turning as fast as it felt like they were, but that’s not important. At least they felt good, right? 🙂

The Dragon looms large ahead, and I’ve been eating carbs since Tuesday. The forecast ain’t great, but I shall obsessively check it every hour or so between now and then in the hope that it starts saying things I like. Or try and find a forecast that does. In the meantime I think I need some sleep…*yawn*. Wish me luck?

Cats in the cradle

Today was the first proper outing for MiniMe’s new road bike. Yes – eldest has been unleashed on the road. Be afraid, be very afraid…*grin*. Mostly of the fact that he’ll be outclassing us all in no time at all!

Andrew, of Scorpion CS fame, has put him together a lovely bike, as you can see below. It may need a little tweaking – the stem is a bit long – but hey, the lad is constantly growing so that’s not going to be a problem for long. Other than that it seems to fit him pretty well.

We did the Nyland Loop, which is mostly flat apart from the hills on the back road to Draycott and the on back up on to the Wedmore road. And to avoid the main road we did the last stint home via the reservoir – probably more for my nerves than his!

He has double sided pedals for the moment, and other than one instance of accidentally clipping in on the wrong side and then not being able to unclip (we’ve all been there!) it went well. Mind you, the large sprocket seems to be pretty sharp – poor lad has got war wounds from that. I think they’re for bragging about though ;).

Anyway, apart from that he did a grand job. There’s work to be done on his road sense, and so on, but that’ll all come with practice and experience. The bike itself however seems to be working pretty well, and he had a great time. He even ate a couple of flies. Hey, we even got tooted at for being on the road, by (predictably) a white van, so I figure his initiation ceremony is complete! *grin*.

Cycling time: 1:04:12 hrs
Distance: 13.29 miles
Avs: 12.3 mph
ODO: 8661 miles

For his first training ride, I think those stats pretty much rock :). But then I would say that, wouldn’t I? ;).

Chip off the old block blah blah