Cycling over cobbles, but Paris-Roubaix it isn't!

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Three helmeted riders

Warm Ears in style

Also warm ears but can he see where he’s going?

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(Why do I do these early season races again?)

Last Sunday morning was my second race of the season – Banbury Star CC 23 mile hard rider event.

The course was undulating with a sharp 16% twisty climb in the middle. On the way out, you descend the rather tricky descent and on the way back you climb the hill (Edgehill) just when your legs are pretty tired anyway.

I took these photos after finish line. – Hence the smile.

I finished second in a time of 54.31. The event was won by James Wall in a very good time of 52.49.

I started my ‘warm up’ 45 mins before start. It was so cold after 15 mins I returned to car and put on a third pair of gloves, turned the engine on and defrosted my feet under the car’s heater. The car thermometer said outside -1. It’s not exactly Siberia. But, it’s not much fun when you have Reynaulds disease (poor circulation in hands and feet). All I can say is I’m glad I didn’t puncture in the middle of no man’s land….

Brave tandem pair

There were plenty of marshalls on the course with red flags warning you of obstacles like the tricky descent and random road furniture that seems to be all the rage these days. I ended up taking the descent quite slowly as I didn’t know it very well.

I was very pleased to come away with £70. – £50 for second and £20 for the fastest time up Edgehill 3.38. Many Thanks to the sponsor Tuffnells and Willoughby Cafe, run by a local Banbury Star CC member, and Banbury Star CC.

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Just a few photos courtesy of One Happy Cog, on Flickr

A fixed tourer by Nicasso reservoir. Nice shiny silver mudguards. Bike looks in great shape. Obviously, they musn’t have 1 in 5 (20%) climbs in California

A misty California morning

Spring is here, – well actually not reallly, this was taken from this time last year.

Since the worst of the weather, in the middle of January, I’ve been training quite hard. In February I completed about 850 miles. I have also started training at race intensity. Last year, I didn’t start until March or April. But, this year, I was getting bored of just doing long miles so I started doing what I like best, which is training hard, especially riding up hills.

This week’s Training

• Sat 80 miles – mostly steady averaging 18mph pushing hard on two climbs around Vale of White horse, and Lambourne
• Sun – 45 minutes on turbo to help legs recover after Saturday’s hard ride.
• Mon – no cycling
• Tues – 70 miles around Chilterns, averaging about 19mph – Bledlow Ridge, Stokenchurch. There’s about 7 long climbs on this ride, I’m basically zigzagging up and down Bledlow Ridge. The climbs are often quite long up to 2 or 3 miles and not too steep. It was a great ride, with some of the best weather this year. Also, some of these very quiet country lanes were completely deserted in the middle of the day. You were as likely to come across a dog walker as a car. Cycling heaven! It was the first time, I felt really fit.
• Wed – 25 miles averaging 15.5. My legs were really tired from the previous day, so I just plodded around a local chaingang circuit, barely managing to average 16mph
• Thurs- Planning to do about 40-50 miles fairly fast, but no intervals
• Friday – Rest
• Sat – 30 miles steady
• Sun – 25 mile Race.

The previous week, I had a few rides were I just felt really slow, I had set an ambitious plan, but, I didn’t have the legs. Sometimes, I feel quite slow, but, other times I felt really good. Especially, at this time of the year, I don’t worry about this kind of inconsistency. In fact it is good to have alternating sessions. Hard, recovery, hard, recovery e.t.c.

Related

• Winter cycle Training

I was searching through Flickr and found this set of pictures from a cycling holiday. This picture by Hill Special is from near Bolton Abbey looking through the lower Wharfe Valley. It looks like the team of cyclists are encountering typical Yorkshire Dales weather i.e. Rain with a bit of sun creeping through. I love how they are prepared with great Waterproof Capes.

You shall not pass Go. Don’t collect £200

It’s from the 1980s, an era where cotton caps and woolly hats were more common than cycle helmets. I’m sure no one would want to crash into a dry stone with wall with nothing more than a cotton cap – but they do look stylish!

You just get the impression, they are riding into a terrific headwind coming from the sea. This can be one of the most demoralising times of cycling. The road is flat and before you know it you’re doing a cadence of 40rpm and a speed of 7mph.

And you think we had it tough?. Nice glasses.
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Biking in Athens

- photo by Antli

- photo by Antli

Thanks to Antli for permission for these two excellent photos.

Happiness is not a Hamlet cigar, Happiness is being able to carry your shopping from Sainsburys in a beautifully designed bike lane and be smugly satisfied as your work colleagues complain about interminable car traffic jams – or something like that

The Guardian bike blog had a good post – what makes cycling joyful?

I like focusing on the positive, cycling blogs can easily become rants about the state of cycle paths, driving standards e.t.c. Anyway, I’ve made my own list of what I enjoy about cycling (many similar to readers comments, some my own.

My favourite comment from blog post was:

“Riding up a hill where I n e a r l y h a v e t o g e t o f f a n d p u s h b u t then I get over theothersideandsuddenlyI’mflying!” – rubylu

What makes cycling joyful?

• The feeling of being energised after a short commute to work.
• Being able to escape traffic jams and overtake any Porsche or 4WD on the road.
• The smug satisfaction of work colleagues who complain about their frustrating drive into town.
• Saving Money from driving and parking in the centre of town
• Being able to go wherever you want, canal paths, roads closed to traffic, moors
• The feeling of exhaustion and satisfaction after a 100 mile ride. A strange mix that you can never explain to those who haven’t experienced it themselves..
• The aesthetic beauty of a clean, fully functioning bike.

• When you come across a beautiful sweep of countryside which wouldn’t be the same from behind a car window.
• The nod to a fellow cyclist plodding along on the other side of the road. A strange feeling of camaraderie, despite them being a complete stranger.
• When you mend a puncture on the side of the road in under 10 minutes.
• Overtaking Cyclists on a short commute into town. OK, it maybe a 60 year old lady on a 30 kilo shopper bike, but, your still faster than her.
• The random meeting up with a cyclist during a training ride and enjoying a conversation whilst your paths converge.
• Being completely alone on a deserted country road in beautiful countryside.
• The joy of being in the present moment, only focused on the simple action of pedalling.
• A tailwind, and a smooth road surface, which makes you feel really fast.
• The first day of the year, when it’s warm enough to go in shorts and ditch the winter tights and the three pairs of gloves.
• Being Able to show off to your friends that they can lift up your 6.5 Kg bike with their little finger.
• The feeling of exhilaration when you’re sprinting up a hill, and your arms go numb because all the blood is in your legs and you know it is physically impossible to go any faster.
• The feeling of speed as you swoop down a hill at 50mph, knowing you won’t have to brake anywhere.
• The Cyclists Cafe. After a good 50 mile ride, there’s nothing better than stopping at a real cyclists cafe, when you are welcomed for the irresistible tea and toasted teacakes (which always taste much better than at home)
• The excuse of being able to shave your legs and admire the well developed muscles in your leg. (don’t know who inserted this one in here…)

Related

• The Joy of Cycling
• Cycling in England

Photo by Hebster CC

It can sometimes be difficult to think of new posts for a cycling blog. For the past three months the topic that keeps coming back is winter cycling – cycling in the snow, cycling in the cold, best winter tyres, cycling indoors to escape the snow. e.t.c

The problem is there are only so many times you want to do the same topic. So I keep thinking not another one about winter cycling.

But, in England we do like especially talking about the weather. (most popular conversation after House prices)

well wrapped up

Cycling in snow

Well, a happy cyclist, is difficult to photo a smiling driver.

Forgive me, if this sounds a bit New Agey, but, I can’t help observing that a happy motorist is a good motorist; but unfortunately, the happy motorist is quite a rare specimen.

There are times, when you are cycling and you get an unexpected bonus. One of these occasions is when a motorist stops / slows down to give you lots of space, the car could have squeezed past. But, when they stop and smile, you really appreciate it. They may wait just for 5 seconds, but, it can really make your day. Drivers who are patient and considerate often smile. Drivers who squeeze past and beep their horn at the smallest provocation look about as miserable as anything.

Road users invariably are in a rush, they have bottled up frustration and it seems that a cyclist on the road can be the last straw which pushes them over the edge. We can get so worked up and stressed, that even the inconvenience of having to slow down slightly below the speed limit makes us miserable. So motorists squeeze past, and can be ready with a range of on demand expletives to inundate anyone who might have the audacity to complain.

It is not just a phenomenon of motorists, it is any road user, any human being – we are all prone to taking out frustrations on other people.

The impatience of road users is not something that can be easily changed – when has human nature ever been easy to change? But, when you are patient, when you can give way and wait cheerfully, the whole experience of driving / cycling becomes more enjoyable.

A little more patience can make a big difference to a more enjoyable and less stress free environment.

• Cycling, negativity and enjoying the bike
• Perspectives of a motorist

The Lady in Red

The cheerful lady in black

A nice warming cup of tea on a cold bike commute

The hectic pace of modern life

Four a Breast – makes the buses slow down