Ride Reports

biondino

itboffin wrote:

What happened with the New Forest ride on the 5th?

Where's the report?

Hmm, have we not done one? Jash, Rob and I set off at 8.30am all together, and I managed to keep up with their pace for about 8 miles before I realised I was in genuine danger of blowing 95 miles worth of energy in 10% of the distance. I rode on my own for the next 40 minutes or so, then chased down (I say chased - it took me over 20 minutes from first seeing them to catching them) two blo9kes who were going at the perfect pace for me.

I rode with them to the first stop, and soon realised that one of them was a) a bit slow (he's a mountain biker) and b) he'd also set off too quickly. His buddy was pretty nippy but decided to stay with him for now, so I rode with them for the next 40 miles or so before me and the speedier chap got too bored with pootling, waiting on every mini climb etc.

On the plus side, it had conserved energy nicely and been a recovery ride to compensate for my early foolishness, so the last 30-odd miles with my new companion were great - we were able to ride at a strong, just-below-max speed, neither overwhelming the other (he was a much better climber but hey, this wasn't the Alps (with the possibly exception of Furzedown, 5 miles from the end, which was a series of moderate inclines which came one after another, with no flats or downs in between - a real grit your teeth and find your rhythm period), and offering encouragement and the odd bit of drafting.

By this point, the extremities were making it not entirely comfortable - sore lower back, achey hands (thanks god for drop bars and the many different riding positions) and a very painful right foot. So I was thrilled to cross the line - two and a half miles later than the ninety-three I'd expected, which makes a big difference! - in a (moving) time of 5 hours 46 minutes, only half an hour slower than Attica and 3/4 of an hour slower than Jash.

It was a brilliant first sportive - a good length, beautiful countryside, decent weather and not too many hills. Jash, Rob and our honorary teammate Lindsey, who went above and beyond in looking after us boys, were fantastic companions. Thanks guys!

il_principe

Fricking hell, I just wrote a lengthy report then managed to close the window! I shall condense it:

Great ride, great company, great hostess (thanks Linsen).
Felt very very good on the hills, except the last (thanks headwind).
Slightly spoilt by a pair of drafters who never took their turn (thanks fellas)

Managed a decent time and av speed on 18.4, lost 1 mph av thanks to Furzedown!
Only passed by 5 riders all day, but 2 don't count as they were the good for nothing draft monkeys who finished just ahead of me, but 20 mins behind me in the overall time!

benno68

cjcp wrote:

Was home in Penarth on the weekend, so met up with Benno yesterday morning. Turns out he lives about three miles away from my mother's house!

Big downpour on Saturday afternoon, so thought the lanes would be full of guff washed out from the bushes and didn't think I'd have enough to do a loop and get back in time, particularly if I had a visit from the PF, so we hung round Penarth and rode loops of the short, sharp hills and streets in the area. Don't know what gradient they kick up to, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's close to 20% in some cases. Think we did over 10 hills in all.

It's unadventurous, I know, but it's a very good workout (confirmed by the fact that I ate an awful lot of Sunday lunch and then went out like a light last night). Ventured out to Leckwtih Hill too. First time I've been up it on a road bike.

Did 30 miles in all.

Cheers for the coffee, Benno (to all: we resisted cake). Good to meet you.

10 hills was it? My brain went numb after 3 and I lost count

It was an enjoyable morning and boy did I need that coffee at the end. CJCP, you made Leckwith Hill look easy, with me out of the saddle and chewing on my lungs trying (unsuccessfully) to keep up :oops: .

I must try and get fitter for your next visit.

itboffin

Il Principe wrote:

Fricking hell, I just wrote a lengthy report then managed to close the window! I shall condense it:

Great ride, great company, great hostess (thanks Linsen).
Felt very very good on the hills, except the last (thanks headwind).
Slightly spoilt by a pair of drafters who never took their turn (thanks fellas)

Managed a decent time and av speed on 18.4, lost 1 mph av thanks to Furzedown!
Only passed by 5 riders all day, but 2 don't count as they were the good for nothing draft monkeys who finished just ahead of me, but 20 mins behind me in the overall time!

Nice one shame I couldn't join you I love a good headwind

cjcp

Benno68 wrote:

cjcp wrote:

Was home in Penarth on the weekend, so met up with Benno yesterday morning. Turns out he lives about three miles away from my mother's house!

Big downpour on Saturday afternoon, so thought the lanes would be full of guff washed out from the bushes and didn't think I'd have enough to do a loop and get back in time, particularly if I had a visit from the PF, so we hung round Penarth and rode loops of the short, sharp hills and streets in the area. Don't know what gradient they kick up to, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's close to 20% in some cases. Think we did over 10 hills in all.

It's unadventurous, I know, but it's a very good workout (confirmed by the fact that I ate an awful lot of Sunday lunch and then went out like a light last night). Ventured out to Leckwtih Hill too. First time I've been up it on a road bike.

Did 30 miles in all.

Cheers for the coffee, Benno (to all: we resisted cake). Good to meet you.

10 hills was it? My brain went numb after 3 and I lost count

It was an enjoyable morning and boy did I need that coffee at the end. CJCP, you made Leckwith Hill look easy, with me out of the saddle and chewing on my lungs trying (unsuccessfully) to keep up :oops: .

I must try and get fitter for your next visit.

You're a lot quicker up the hills than you give yourself credit for!

Deadeye Duck

Well, this morning was different, to say the least.

Woke up & got ready to cycle in. Looked out the window and it's raining, joy!
About 3 miles into the trip, I head round a roundabout at about 20mph-ish and as I hit the apex I feel my front wheel slip sliding away.

I had just enough time to say 'shi...' before I hit the tarmac hard on my side and travelled a good 15-20ft on my side. I quickly got up, picked up my bike and bottle (which had come out in the fall), jumped on the bike and cycled off. 100 yards or so down the line, I stop and give the bike a once over, straightened the left hand STI lever (i don't really know how that one became bent in and not the right, considering I fell on my right hand side) with a few thumps, then had a quick feel for rips in my clothes.

Phew, no rips.

Got back on the bike and took the rest of the ride in veeerrrryyyyy eeeaaassssyyyy.

It wasn't untill I got to work and went for a shower that I found out I have lovely cuts to my ankle, calf, elbow & shoulder, and one lovely patch of roadrash on my thigh.

Today will be filled with moments of forgetting about the r-rash and scratching it, no doubt. Oh well.

Can anyone advise some tyres that have a bit more grip in the wet than Vittoria Zafiros(sp)?

Deadeye Duck

Oh, and just to top it off, I thought the cut on my elbow was small, but not small enough apparently, as I've just bled all over my desk.

biondino

First off, what are you doing hitting the apex of a roundabout?

Secondly, you probably came off because of some grit, or diesel, or other substance on the road - most tyres will suffer a similar fate.

Feltup

biondino wrote:

First off, what are you doing hitting the apex of a roundabout?

Why wouldn't you hit the apex of a roundabout if it was safe to do so? Obviously you wouldn't cut across lanes on large roundabouts but on mini roundabouts why not?

Deadeye Duck

Apex of the corner, not the roundabout. Sorry. I was in the righthand lane as I was taking the 3rd exit (of a 4 exit roundabout). When I say apex, I simply mean the middle point of the corner I'm taking. The point where I'm leaned over most.

It could have been grit or something I suppose, but it gave me enough of a shock to take every corner after very slowly.

Once again, I apologise for giving the wrong impression. I've always thought of it like that, because my first experience with learning to corner properly was on the track, and although the apex itself is the little strip of red and white on the edge of the tarmac, you refer to the apex as the point where you stop slowing down and start to pick up speed again.

biondino

Sorry, I was just struggling to imagine the circumstances - on a roundabout I make every effort to stay in the middle of my lane in primary so cars can't bully or ignore me, that's all - I had an image of you cutting across multiple lanes multiple times just to get the quickest line!

Deadeye Duck

God no! I was told off for that enough when I took my CBT and at least then I had a wippersnapper of an engine to get me out the way of my irresponsible actions.

I'm the same at roundabouts, I stick to the lane I should be in, and I stick to the middle of it. Being overtaken on a normal corner is bad enough. I can only imagine, being overtaken while on a roundabout, must be a bit nervie.

ScoTTyBEEE

OK, first ride ever to my job since I started 2 1/2 years ago. I used to ride 6 miles to my previous employer on a mtb with slicks and really enjoyed it, but when I changed jobs to central London this pushed it up to 15 and I wimped out.

This year I bought a Boardman comp roadbike and decided to go for it. The bike has continental ultra sports so I ordered some GP4000s but they hadn't arrived yet.

Was about a 1/3rd into the ride and got a puncture. No problem I thought, I purchased 2 inner tubes yesterday for this eventuality, knowing my tyres are made of cling film. Pullled everything off and put the new inner tube, tyre was a bit of a pig to get on but got there in the end. Went to pump it up and, sh*t, the valve isn't long enough.

No problem I thought as I have a punture repair kit as I've done all this before. So there I am trying to put a large mountain bike patch on a tiny inner tube. Curiously I thought last night, I wonder what the difference between a mtb and road bike punture repair kit is. Now I know.

So my only option was to try and pull the valve out as far as possible and get some air in it. I managed to push a tyre lever down on the back and just get some air into it. Put the wheel back and and went to pump it up some more. I noticed the little bit that unscrews was a little bent, so I pushed it back into place. This was the idea, what actually happened was the bit broke off, so now I can't inflate it.

I was rather miffed at this point, especially considering I had come prepared, so I rode it the remaining 9 or so miles, trying to keep the weight off the back and still feeling like I had a puncture.

Gave myself 2 hours to get to work and still arrived late!! Argh.

Roll on some puncture resistant tyres. I can't believe anyone would want one that isn't. They should come as standard!

il_principe

Had a mixed ride with my brother on Sunday. It was only his 4th ride on a roadie, but given his overall fitness levels (and my need to get some proper miles in) I decided to take him on a 60 miler into Surrey, taking in Crocknorth and Box Hill.

We had a fairly decent ride but he was frustratingly slow, and really couldn't manage a sustained pace above 15.5mph. If he's going to ride with me regularly I need to get him up to speed pronto. Chapeau to him though, I was very impressed with his efforts!

On a personal note, I managed a 6.33 ascent of Box Hill beating CJCP's last posted time of 6.34 which I'm delighted with. There's definitely room for improvement there although I'm sure that hitting it after riding at my Bro's pace helped somewhat!

itboffin

Il Principe wrote:

Had a mixed ride with my brother on Sunday. It was only his 4th ride on a roadie, but given his overall fitness levels (and my need to get some proper miles in) I decided to take him on a 60 miler into Surrey, taking in Crocknorth and Box Hill.

We had a fairly decent ride but he was frustratingly slow, and really couldn't manage a sustained pace above 15.5mph. If he's going to ride with me regularly I need to get him up to speed pronto. Chapeau to him though, I was very impressed with his efforts!

On a personal note, I managed a 6.33 ascent of Box Hill beating CJCP's last posted time of 6.34 which I'm delighted with. There's definitely room for improvement there although I'm sure that hitting it after riding at my Bro's pace helped somewhat!

Harsh Jash harsh.

He ain't heavy he's my brother..!

il_principe

itboffin wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

Had a mixed ride with my brother on Sunday. It was only his 4th ride on a roadie, but given his overall fitness levels (and my need to get some proper miles in) I decided to take him on a 60 miler into Surrey, taking in Crocknorth and Box Hill.

We had a fairly decent ride but he was frustratingly slow, and really couldn't manage a sustained pace above 15.5mph. If he's going to ride with me regularly I need to get him up to speed pronto. Chapeau to him though, I was very impressed with his efforts!

On a personal note, I managed a 6.33 ascent of Box Hill beating CJCP's last posted time of 6.34 which I'm delighted with. There's definitely room for improvement there although I'm sure that hitting it after riding at my Bro's pace helped somewhat!

Harsh Jash harsh.

He ain't heavy he's my brother..!

What, I gave him a "Chapeau!" what more do you want?

roger_merriman

as with the most pathetic commute will be putting big green back into service, so pump the tires back up and sort the brakes and she's good to go.

first off was potter though Bushy towards kingston to meet up with wife for lunch, then off to twick to sort out some forms and then off to richmound to pick up some pressies for a 7 year old, after that back to kingston via the tow path. then wifey and i headed home though bushy.

all in 17 miles and quite a few stops for coffee etc, found a nice cafe with wifi nr Richmound.

not bad considering the bike weighs a ton, last time i weighed it was 50lb though i have taken some things off, though it's still 40lb plus.

not bad really, very nice way to do stuff and was nice and warm etc.

cjcp

Il Principe wrote:

On a personal note, I managed a 6.33 ascent of Box Hill beating CJCP's last posted time of 6.34 which I'm delighted with. There's definitely room for improvement there although I'm sure that hitting it after riding at my Bro's pace helped somewhat!

Dag-nabbit!

I don't know when I'm getting out there next either!

Good effort, sir.

lost_in_thought

Had a lovely pending-unemployment outing today, got stuck behind a bus and a combine harvester. Combine harvesters are really slow, and I was very surprised to see the bus!

In other news, the plague of tiny black bugs seems to have subsided.

itboffin

lost_in_thought wrote:

Had a lovely pending-unemployment outing today, got stuck behind a bus and a combine harvester. Combine harvesters are really slow, and I was very surprised to see the bus!

In other news, the plague of tiny black bugs seems to have subsided.

that's because i've eaten them all, tee hee...

Fireblade96

lost_in_thought wrote:

Had a lovely pending-unemployment outing today,.........

Join the imminently-unemployed-cyclist club !
I had my final consultation meeting on Wednesday and am now officially on gardening leave - for which, of course, read Cycling Leave.

I just hope it stops raining soon, all those sunny days when I was slaving over a hot laptop and what good did it do ? :roll:

pllb

Fireblade96 wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

Had a lovely pending-unemployment outing today,.........

Join the imminently-unemployed-cyclist club !
I had my final consultation meeting on Wednesday and am now officially on gardening leave - for which, of course, read Cycling Leave.

I just hope it stops raining soon, all those sunny days when I was slaving over a hot laptop and what good did it do ? :roll:

I was busily planning my summer of unemployed cycling when my company decided not to move head office to Geneva - this was a reprieve and a relief - but I can't say I wasn't a little disappointed inside

Deadeye Duck

It's obviously something in the air. It appears my job is 'at risk' and I have a consultation meeting on Monday. woo-f'king-hoo...

lost_in_thought

Hmmmm, was about to get changed and head out for a ride, but it's suddenly rather dark...

Maybe I'll wait.

benno68

Managed to get up Caerphilly Mountain (from Thornhill) today. I found it really hard and certainly need to get some strength in my legs to improve.

Really nice ride down past Castell Coch and into Tongwynlais. Onto the A470 into Cardiff, through Canton and up Leckwith Hill which felt good.

25 miles in 95 minutes.

Next goals are to do 50 miles and hit 50mph. (my top speed showed as 62 today but I know I didn't truly hit over 40mph).

Deadeye Duck

What have you learned today deadeye?

I've learned that big JCB diggers are brilliant. They can only do about 25mph tops, take up the road so much that cars wait, and allow me to sit 10-15ft behind them coasting comfortably because they're about as aerodynamic as a brick

cjcp

Three laps of the Park tonight. Sawyer's Hill. Gah!

cjcp

10 laps of the Park/70 miles this morning. Didn't feel great this morning and a late start after getting some shopping in for the returning family, so didn't venture into the hills. Lovely day for it at least, and not much traffic either. Lots of dossards though. :roll:

jonginge

cjcp wrote:

10 laps of the Park/70 miles this morning. Didn't feel great this morning and a late start after getting some shopping in for the returning family, so didn't venture into the hills. Lovely day for it at least, and not much traffic either. Lots of dossards though. :roll:

10? :shock: You must be nearing a 300 mile week.

This week I are be mostly watching cycling

cjcp

Yeah, I wanted to get 70 (which I did only after going to the deli after leaving the Park to buy a pile of food ). Went anti-c/w. Averaged 18.5mph, but total time was about 3hrs 40min, so lapping around 21-22 min, I think. Cruised on the flats and put some effort up Sawyer's and Dark Hills.

I've beaten 300 since Monday; about 325-odd from last Sunday.

I have a huge pie to eat tonight. And a cold Chardonnay. Kids are back now though, so its back to being woken up by having my ears flicked.