I wanted to take a moment to recommend a series of books to anyone who enjoys cycling, cycle touring and or travelogues in general. I have no doubt that many of you may follow Andrew’s own blog https://cyclingeurope.org/ but for those that don’t, you should.
Andrew’s books chart his adventures with his bike, Reggie, as he sets his sights on what I would regard as highly ambitious adventures. Andrew and Reggie taken them all in their stride however and even take the time to document the ups and downs (of all varieties) that they encounter along the way. Andrew’s writing style is easy but descriptive. He manages to convey the mood of the moment as well as the facts.
I’ve just finished the 3rd book (Spain to Norway) and hope that Andrew is going to embark on another trip soon in order to provide the material for a 4th.
I don’t get it. I’m pretty sure I’ve never done anything to upset her but the Queen apparently doesn’t like me or any other cyclists. I say apparently because I haven’t actually ever asked her about it but the sign outside her gaff in Windsor seems to make it pretty clear. Perhaps one of us ran over one of her corgis at some point?
Now this particular bit of tarmac is called the Long Walk and runs from Windsor Castle [almost] up to the statue of King George III at Snow Hill and is, I believe, 2.64 miles in length. Given it’s called a ‘Walk’ you can perhaps excuse Her Maj for thinking that cycling wasn’t appropriate. However, I don’t understand why you can’t push a cycle on the Long Walk! Perhaps she doesn’t like pushers? I know my Nan always moans about them hanging about on her estate – it might be an old person thing.
It is something of a shame as, from the statue, it’s a very enticing looking stretch of tarmac that I’m sure would be very enjoyable to ride down!
Might have to sneak down there one day when it’s quiet
I regularly ride up to and around Windsor Great Park and it’s a particularly nice place to take your kids for a bike ride, if a little busy especially in the summer months. The first photo was taken almost exactly two years ago today, in the year 2017BC (Before Cannondale). The second picture was from the latter end of last year.
After a busy weekend of attending sporting events, I was grateful to my wife for letting me duck out of a family event to get on the bike on Sunday afternoon. What a glorious afternoon it was too. Whilst it was still a bit chilly – the arm warmers stayed on – it was nice and sunny the whole way round. It was good to feel the heat from the sun after even as mild a winter such as the one just gone.
Matt was up for another training ride and Nick managed to find some time to join us which was good as we haven’t been out that much recently. We weren’t planning anything large – just 20 miles or thereabouts. We sauntered up to East Clandon on the back roads and somehow persuaded Matt that it would be a good time to introduce him to Staple Lane (part of the 2012 Olympic Road Race route). He didn’t seem convinced beforehand, definitely didn’t seem convinced half way up but got to the top on his first ever attempt which I rate as a victory. Nick waited at the top for us to take some action shots.
The views from the top are fantastic. You can see most of London including the Dartford Crossing on a clear day. Sadly the construction site that is Woking is beginning to become a blot on the landscape as tower blocks go higher and higher around the station.
We dropped down the other side of the Downs and made our way back via Chilworth and Guildford with a coffee stop at the cafe in Shalford. Not the longest of rides but certainly a very pleasant one. I think Matt is proving to be a natural cyclist and I don’t see him having too many problems on the upcoming Paris ride.
I must remember to book the bike in for a service though – there’s way too much clicking and creaking coming from the bottom bracket area. It’s been like that on and off since it was replaced last Spring (needless to say it hadn’t been doing it before the new one) and I’m getting a bit tired of it. My ageing bones make enough noise going up hills without the bike joining the chorus in sympathy.
This Friday’s photo is more of a Throwback Thursday shot. The picture was taken on the bike during my trip to Switzerland last year. We were heading south out of Gstaad to head back over the Col du Pillon back to our accommodation in Leysin, having already ridden out over the Route des Mosses in the morning.
This 50(ish) mile ride was probably my favourite day’s cycling of all time. Despite the fact that we started fearing that our plans would be washed out by fog and rain, by the time we got off the mountain side at Leysin, where we were staying, to our starting point at Ormont Dessous, it was clear and dry. The scenery was simply breathtaking, all day long.
We had originally planned a trip to Mt Ventoux but one of our group was already signed up to do the Cyclotour du Leman (sportive round Lac Leman or, as you may better know it, Lake Geneva) and we decided this sounded fun so went there instead. We stayed in Lausanne for two nights and added on two nights in Leysin to get a taste of riding the Alps themselves. Much as I still want to do Ventoux, I don’t regret the decision at all. All 3 days of cycling were fantastic as well as challenging.
En route to Evian, dropping off the group
The Cyclotour du Leman consisted of 109 miles of open road cycling round the lake. We started from Lausanne but there are options to start from Geneva as well. As you can imagine, the sportive provided some incredible views all day long. There were several thousand riders but, once out onto the open road past Lausanne, it thinned out nicely. We were able to take advantage of group riding in the early stages which bumped our speed up significantly but after a crash (not us) and an acceleration which broke our elastic band, we detached and carried on at a more leisurely pace through Evian, Geneva and back to Lausanne, finishing in a shade over 6 hours. I thoroughly enjoyed the day although I was very tired at the end (I don’t think the 12 hour drive the day before plus a second very early morning helped). It’s an annual event I would highly recommend to anyone – they even give you a jersey!
A tired but happy fat guy
After a well deserved decent night’s sleep, we headed up into the mountains, stocked up with food and, after one particularly hair raising moment involving a three point turn and a thousand foot drop, picked up the keys to the chalet we had booked. We had a short but steep climb up the Tour d’Ai (or at least as far as we could get on road bikes) in the afternoon which provided more amazing views.
View from Tour d’Ai
Day 3 was the circular ride through Route des Mosses and Col du Pillon. I had taken some time to plan this route as we wanted a reasonable length ride in the mountains that wasn’t impossibly steep. Easier said than done in the Alps but this seemed to work well and had the advantage that the two climbs are ‘known’ in the cycling community and therefore had kudos value (I know that’s sad but I’m shallow)! The two climbs involved were of about 5 miles each (ignoring the approaches) with average gradients of about 4 or 5%. This doesn’t sound much but it was hard work for a man of my stature.
What made it so, so worthwhile were the descents. The ride down from Mosses was just amazing. Probably 8 miles of pristine tarmac and very few cars, weaving around the gorges and mountain sides. Heaven. I could do that ride every day for the rest of my life and die a very happy man. The descent after the cable car station on the Col du Pillon was just as great although I was so blown out by the climb up (I was having a bit of a moment) that I didn’t enjoy it quite as much.
I’ve included a selection of photos from that ride below but, suffice to say, I would recommend getting out to the Alps and doing some cycling to anyone. It’s an experience not to be missed. I’m absolutely serious when I say that if I could persuade my family to move out there and find a job that would pay well enough to cope with Switzerland’s eye-watering prices I would move there tomorrow.
Descent down from MossesView on the way down from MossesAlpine meadows!
I wasn’t surprised but was disappointed when I received my ‘Commiserations’ magazine from the Prudential RideLondon 100 organisers this year. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve done it on 4 of the 6 times it’s been held so am doing better than many who try unsuccessfully every year to get in. To be clear, only twice have I made it through the ballot. The other two years’ entries were gained through the Peloton Relay. So, I’m probably in the lucky camp when it comes to my hit rate of getting in to the ride. Having said that, it’s become a bit of an institution for me, especially as it passes within a mile of my home which makes it easy for my family and friends to come and cheer me on, so I’m always sad when I don’t get a place.
I did put in entries for both a Peloton Relay place and the Amstel Team ballot and was very pleased today to receive a confirmation that I have a team place for the Amstel event. Yay! I already have one confirmed team mate and now just need to identify two other victims to join in. The other good news, if I remember correctly is that there is a private area at Green Park for the Amstel teams and I’m pretty sure there was a celebratory beer in there! Now that is how to end a 100 mile bike ride.
For anyone intending to take part this year, I have good news! It doesn’t rain when I do the RideLondon! The only two wet years (well, one wet and one utterly flooded) were the ones where I didn’t get in. So be warned… take sunscreen!
Another Sunday, another training ride. After a chilly morning watching my son play football, as usual, I had a quick turnaround in order to meet Matt and Jon to head out for another training ride. The weather was somewhat nicer than in the previous couple of weekends – the wind was down considerably and, whilst chilly, it was fairly pleasant. Not shorts pleasant though I would add and I was glad I put full fingered gloves on – a last minute change of plan.
I decided that it was preferable to head out into the wind and then reap the benefits on the return trip so we headed west, out through Old Woking and Fox Corner towards Ash Vale. The wind, whilst significantly lower than in recent weeks, was still enough to dent forward momentum but we managed to keep up a decent pace through the back roads.
I’d planned to have a coffee stop in Ash Vale – there’s a very handy cafe near the station that I’ve stopped at before. Sadly, when we got there we discovered they were shutting for the day but it did give us a chance to give Matt’s set up a check as he was struggling with some aches and pains. Now, I’d preface this by saying that I’m no bike fitter and only have a rudimentary grasp on the geometric complexities of creating a comfortable and efficient riding position. However, one thing I have learnt over the past few years is that most new road cyclists (unless they’ve been properly fitted) tend to have their saddle lower than the optimum position. Matt was new to a road bike having only recently acquired it from a mutual friend and that, combined with the fact that his knees were somewhat splayed out as he cycled, suggested that a little more height in the saddle may help. As Jon succinctly commented, “You’re meant to look like John Wayne when you get off the bike, not while you’re on it”.
We did the quick heel-to-pedal measurement and bumped the saddle up an inch or so – it could have gone more but I didn’t want to end up with Matt struggling to put his feet down at stops so it was a compromise of efficiency and confidence. We also turned his handlebars up slightly as they were set in a very racy position. Just a few minutes’ work with an hex key and we were off again. Despite being denied a well earned coffee, the changes seemed to spur Matt on and he seemed to be in less pain and riding at a quicker pace after the stop. I decided that this gave me the excuse to suggest heading back over the top of the ranges at Mytchett – always one of my favourite roads – and get the benefit of the long gradual descent down the other side via Grange Road into Pirbright.
Matt had a scary moment as we turned right, at speed, into Grange Road as a BMW driver decided to overtake him despite the fact he’d indicated and moved into the centre of the road (in good time) for the turn. This prompted a lot of”typical BMW driver” comments from the others (I drive a BMW, sorry), followed up by “you don’t get that from Audi drivers” (guess what they both drive?). The phrase ‘famous last words’ sprang to mind a few minutes later when we were buzzed by an Audi hatchback on Cemetery Pales who was apparently trying to set a new landspeed record! I’d be more critical if I hadn’t been guilty, in my misspent youth, of doing much the same thing on a few occasions.
Aided by the wind behind us, we made good time to the local pub to meet our families who had gone for a walk and this was just as well because, a few sips into our first pint of Guinness (Happy St Patrick’s Day!) we were treated to a very sharp shower of hailstones that appeared out of nowhere. Fortunately we were under cover unlike our families who got blasted by it just before they reached the comfort of the pub.
Good timing!
Hopefully the weather will improve over the coming weeks as I’m keen to get some longer rides under my belt. Given it’s heading towards the end of March, I don’t feel up to speed just yet and need to up the stamina levels before the (hopefully) sunny months ahead. Still, another 25 miles was covered and it all counts!
I think I mentioned in my introduction that one of my other loves is photography. I regularly stop as I’m cycling around to capture images that I caught out of the corner of my eye. To be fair, I have a better ‘eye’ than I my photography skills can live up to! I see things that appeal but often fail to capture them with a camera.
All of my photography is done with an iPhone – currently an 8. I do mess around with the pictures in Instagram or Snapseed to enhance them but it still amazes me how capable a camera can be implanted into a phone. It particularly suits my skill level – I could carry around an eye wateringly expensive DSLR with all the kit and still struggle to take a decent shot.
I think the key to photography (for me) is the basic essence of the picture and the composition. Is the picture conveying what you wanted it to? The picture above is a good example. I’ve often thought about taking a photo here as I like the ‘path’ your eyes take between the dark tree tunnel at the top down to the railway bridge at the bottom. The trees provide a perfect frame for the bridge which is the focus. In this case, managing to capture a local cyclist pushing his way up the climb (far too easily if you ask me) was a bonus.
Anyway, inspired by seeing Foto Friday post today by @pedalWORKS, I intend to regularly put up some photos that I’ve taken on this blog – I’m always happy to hear constructive criticism and tips for improvement. Hope you enjoy them.
The weather forecast didn’t look promising yesterday morning when I got up. The good news was that my younger son’s football match had been cancelled so I had all morning to keep checking the weather forecast to see if there was any sign of the minor hurricane that appeared to be in residence outside the windows subsiding.
The plan was to do another training ride with the Paris Trip crowd. For reference, a group of seven of us (all local Dads of varying degrees of middle ages and fitness) are riding to Paris in June. We’re planning on a three day trip which means approx 60-70 miles per day. Even though I am one of the more seasoned cyclists of the group and have plenty of experience of cycling further in one go, I haven’t really done a multi-day trip before, not properly. I did a trip to Switzerland last year that involved 3 days of cycling but the 10 mile day 2 ride up a mountain handily placed close to our chalet was more of a sightseeing trip than a proper ride. The 110 miles and ~50 miles of days 1 and 3 respectively were pretty full on though. Needless to say that, whilst I’m fairly confident of my ability to do the Paris trip relatively comfortably, there’s no harm in putting some miles in to make sure.
I was especially keen to get out yesterday as I have been in a bit of an exercise lull for the past few weeks. I did get out on the bike a couple of weekends ago but haven’t been to the gym in three weeks mainly due to the onset of gout in my left foot. I’ve never had this before and, frankly, would like to never have it again. Firstly, I’m not sure I want a condition that suggests that I’m a port-swilling, overweight old man; whilst at least some of that may be accurate, I’m not keen to advertise the fact! Secondly, it is, as the nurse at the Walk in Centre (or Limp in Centre in my case) pointed out, “incredibly painful” and, as she’s obviously a highly trained medical professional, she knows what she’s talking about.
There were a lot of Whatsapp posts flying about in the morning with varying degrees of enthusiasm for the afternoon ride being displayed so, given I had some spare time and wasn’t convinced that the ride would go ahead, I decided to go to the gym. In an effort to put some miles in, I decided to set a target of 20 miles on the exercise bike and see if I could do that in under an hour. Depending on your fitness level, that may or may not sound challenging but an hour on exercise bike at any speed is tedious at the best of times so it certainly seemed like a challenge to me even if only of my boredom threshold. The result was:
Quite pleased with that
I just scraped in by the skin of my teeth. Half way through I was breezing it and thought I might finish in a sub 55 minute time but the second half was a bit tougher! To be fair, this isn’t reflective of my usual road speeds – these particular exercise bikes do seem to flatter one’s ability but it’s always good to hit a target. Thanks to Avenged Sevenfold for the musical motivation.
After a few other weights and stretching, I headed home, confident in the knowledge that at least I’d some pedalling this weekend even though the ride was likely to be declared ‘wind stopped play’. The wind did seem to be dying down a bit though I noticed as I drove home and the Whatsapp messages were becoming more positive. A couple of short hailstorms did convince a couple to stay indoors but, surprisingly, two of the guys were still keen to venture out so, as as appointed ride leader, I felt obliged to join them.
The plan was to do 20-25 miles and I had picked a fairly flat route that looped through Cobham and Leatherhead, keeping to the back roads as far as possible and definitely staying off the top of the Downs. I did see a post on Instagram later that day from Evans Cycles in Guildford whose ride out was rudely interrupted by a large tree crashing down in front of them up on Ranmore Common so was glad we avoided that!
I headed out with Hugh and Matt into the wind ravaged English countryside and it all started just fine. Keeping to a steady pace and, despite a short detour to avoid a flooded road at Downside, we got the first ten miles sorted without a problem. After that, it was noticeable that Hugh was struggling to keep up once we turned back into the wind because he was riding a hybrid and the higher riding position was hindering his forward progress. If you look at the difference in profile between a tall and well shouldered guy (Hugh won’t mind me saying that given he’s a life long rugby player where that kind of build is an advantage) riding a hybrid and the same person on a road bike, the difference doesn’t immediately look that big. The truth is that it makes a massive difference. I remember doing one of the New Forest sportives a few years ago when I was still riding my hybrid. I had flipped the stem round and lowered the handlebars for a more aggressive riding position but, at one point, we hit one of the big open areas (there’s surprisingly few trees in a lot of the New Forest*) and faced a long straight road of a couple of miles into the teeth of a gusty wind and the two of us on hybrids basically ended up going backwards whilst our friends on drop bar bike at least managed to maintain some forward momentum! Anyway, I took up the position of leading windbreak – I’m told I make a sizeable hole in the air for those riding behind me – and we all made it safely round.
Matt and Hugh sporting team colours
I have to say that I was glad that I’d put bib tights on and a thick pair of socks. The wind was punishing at times but its worst aspect was the fact it was just damn cold. I had also put on a fairly thick jersey/jacket – the same one as sported by Hugh in the photo above – which kept me nice and warm in the wind but when, the sun did break through, threatened to toast me to a crisp. Getting the balance of clothing right at this time of year can be a struggle!
It was good to get out on the bike and stretch my legs. I do hate it over the winter when the weather gets in the way of cycling. I do ride throughout the winter but I tend to avoid rain wherever possible – I cycle for enjoyment and I just don’t really enjoy the rain. Despite the fact that this year has seen a fairly mild winter, I seem to have missed more weekends than I would like for one reason or another. I do hate the feeling of having to start again, fitness wise, in the Spring.
I’ve changed my GP 4 Seasons for GP4000s and I’m not sure about the reflective strip. It somehow makes the bike look a bit less stealth. I appreciate safety angle but it’s going to make it harder if I ever have to take on any two wheeled ninja missions.
I quite liked the all black effect of the old tyres. I’m sure I’ll get used to them. Hopefully.
Well, the decision has been made a bit easier today. I had ordered a new set of Continental GP4000s for the Cannondale (more on that separately) and fitted them today.
The plan was to fit the outgoing Continental GP 4 Seasons to the Trek 2.3 which then give it more credibility as a touring steed – I don’t fancy the 23mms for a multi-day trip with variable road surfaces.
I got the front tyre on and refitted it to the bike only find that there wasn’t enough clearance. So, that’s pretty much that then! Anyone want a well cared for Trek 2.3 Alpha?!! 🤣
It’s sad really. The Trek was my first adult road bike and we’ve had some fun together, including two RideLondon events and countless other sportives. I just don’t really have a realistic use for it anymore.
What this does mean is that my only real choice for a touring bike from my current stable is, at least for the Paris ride in June, is the hybrid. Although, if I sell the Trek… Hmm…Â I wonder…
Fatsiclist 