Two problems (First World).

optimisticbiker

rubertoe wrote:

OptimisticBiker wrote:

@ben & rubertoe... the solo commuting lark can be tiring - esp when done flat out most of the time; thats why I find the (comparatively gentle) weekend rides with the club(s) relaxing yet stimulating, its good to ride in company and chat.

If you fancy company on a moderate (13 - 14mph+) pootle round Hertfordshire and/or the Chilterns this Sunday I'm up for it. Not sure where either of you are but PM me if you do.

RuberToe - did you ever get out to ride with the Southgate lot?

How did you two get on with the Ride?

SWMBO had me doing all sorts and I am awaiting some parts to re-build the groupo on my bike, you really dont want me clunking in your ear with a dodgy BB for two hours.

Edit, - Its tomorrow my bad.

Yes, we're out tomorrow for a gentle 4 - 5hr rural run with midway lunch stop. Meeting at A5/A410 Spur Road roundabout at 9:30am approx if you're interested

optimisticbiker

OptimisticBiker wrote:

rubertoe wrote:

OptimisticBiker wrote:

@ben & rubertoe... the solo commuting lark can be tiring - esp when done flat out most of the time; thats why I find the (comparatively gentle) weekend rides with the club(s) relaxing yet stimulating, its good to ride in company and chat.

If you fancy company on a moderate (13 - 14mph+) pootle round Hertfordshire and/or the Chilterns this Sunday I'm up for it. Not sure where either of you are but PM me if you do.

RuberToe - did you ever get out to ride with the Southgate lot?

How did you two get on with the Ride?

SWMBO had me doing all sorts and I am awaiting some parts to re-build the groupo on my bike, you really dont want me clunking in your ear with a dodgy BB for two hours.

Edit, - Its tomorrow my bad.

Yes, we're out tomorrow for a gentle 4 - 5hr rural run with midway lunch stop. Meeting at A5/A410 Spur Road roundabout at 9:30am approx if you're interested

Great ride, 123km (77miles) & 1236m climbing for me at an average of 14mph, Ben's total will be a touch more. Stopped up at Meads Farm, near Tring for lunch, after that we got a little lost, climbed a 14% hill I'd intended to bypass and tried a narrow path that 'looked like it was going in the right direction & down' only to be stuck behind a couple of slow horses for a mile or so, but it was relaxing and came out roughly where we'd intended to be...

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/843830

Ben6899

It was a brilliant ride and I'm indebted to 'OptimisticBiker' for creating a great route. Today helped to rekindle my love of cycling and belief in myself as a cyclist. We hit some horror hills, but got over them.

I clocked 89.9 miles (I had to cycle to and from NW London from my humble abode). My climbing statistic is 5,035ft which is - if my conversion from US/Aus to rest of the world is correct - 1678m. I blame Haverstock Hill on the way out and Greyhound Hill on the way back!

This is my Strava log: http://app.strava.com/rides/18112929. Greyhound Hill: 7th out of 40-odd. 85miles gone, thighs full of lactic and hating every second of the climb and I still posted a 7th.

walkingbootweather

Ben6899 wrote:

I clocked 89.9 miles ....

You've still got a couple of hours to get a quick 10 miles in and make the century.

Well done and great to hear that people in our community are so willing to support each other.

Ben6899

walkingbootweather wrote:

Ben6899 wrote:

I clocked 89.9 miles ....

You've still got a couple of hours to get a quick 10 miles in and make the century.

Well done and great to hear that people in our community are so willing to support each other.

I was ready for a pint, so 90miles was plenty.

Yup, it's pretty amazing, and I'm very grateful.

MaxwellBygraves

Try a different sport for a bit - I soon find a bit of running has me craving the bike.

optimisticbiker

I was amazed to see Strava thinks there were 2 CAT4 climbs in there, I thought the route wasn't that hilly ... RideWithGPS concurs that they were; in fact it reckons the first was a CAT3... its the length of the incline rather than the actual slope... and we did both comment on 'how much longer does this go on for' Not one of my greatest routes, was done in a bit of a hurry and I got a little carried away on the distance (so whats an extra 20miles?) but hey, we had a great time. You wanted rural and we got rural in spades, well we could have used one for some of the farmyard content we had to cycle round, and the slat bridge over the ford - where the slats ran in the direction of travel leaving a slot big enough for a 25mm tyre to fit in - was 'interesting', as was the unintended off-road section of the course.

Note to all: when using RideWithGPS (or any other site that uses the new Google 'UK cycling' feature)... check on OS when routing outside built up areas just exactly what it considers a 'cycle route'!

rubertoe

Sounds like you two had a good time and I am a bit gutted that I didn't get to make it. However I hope that this is not a one off thing as I am certainly looking for a few people to ride with.

(and as DHL will be delivering me a shiny box of goodies from Germany today, the Bike will be transformed and I wont embarrass myself.)

Glad you found your MOJO Ben that is the important thing.

optimisticbiker

rubertoe wrote:

Sounds like you two had a good time and I am a bit gutted that I didn't get to make it. However I hope that this is not a one off thing as I am certainly looking for a few people to ride with.

(and as DHL will be delivering me a shiny box of goodies from Germany today, the Bike will be transformed and I wont embarrass myself.)

Glad you found your MOJO Ben that is the important thing.

We did have a good time and will be doing it again. It was a nice alternative to the club rides as well, change of scenery, pace/distance and conversation topics. Sometimes its the little things; after struggling up a short CAT3 (1.5km, 5.3%) we hit a village at the top, too small to be easily found on the map, called Wigginton, which made us smile at the 'in' joke (I note Strava actually lists it as the Wigginton climb, so we aren't the first ).

Ben's quicker up the climbs than me; either stronger/younger legs or he has a higher pain threshold as he was only running a 23 on the back to my 28 (though I could only safely use the 24 as the jockey cage appears to be bent from my off two weeks back and the chain keeps slipping off the 28 into the spokes - some adjustment required)

Ben6899

OptimisticBiker wrote:

rubertoe wrote:

Sounds like you two had a good time and I am a bit gutted that I didn't get to make it. However I hope that this is not a one off thing as I am certainly looking for a few people to ride with.

(and as DHL will be delivering me a shiny box of goodies from Germany today, the Bike will be transformed and I wont embarrass myself.)

Glad you found your MOJO Ben that is the important thing.

We did have a good time and will be doing it again. It was a nice alternative to the club rides as well, change of scenery, pace/distance and conversation topics. Sometimes its the little things; after struggling up a short CAT3 (1.5km, 5.3%) we hit a village at the top, too small to be easily found on the map, called Wigginton, which made us smile at the 'in' joke (I note Strava actually lists it as the Wigginton climb, so we aren't the first ).

Ben's quicker up the climbs than me; either stronger/younger legs or he has a higher pain threshold as he was only running a 23 on the back to my 28 (though I could only safely use the 24 as the jockey cage appears to be bent from my off two weeks back and the chain keeps slipping off the 28 into the spokes - some adjustment required)

@ rubertoe, OB

Yes, we will definitely be doing it again, I had such a good time yesterday. And it was great to get the social aspect back into my cycling - since I moved down here, the closest social interaction I have had while out on the bike is somebody stuck on my wheel in the Regent's Park.

Wigginton climb - what a little swine that was with 60miles already in the legs, but we both bowed and hailed Sir Brad as we crested into the village. Climbs on the whole: I prefer to get them over and done with and I suppose I might have a high(er) pain threshold.

@ OB, your pulley cage is definitely a little twisted - very easy to spot when riding behind you yesterday. As we joked: put it in the vice and tease it back to its former straightness. And if that doesn't work, bash it with a hammer!

@ rubertoe, defo join us next time. Are you expecting a delivery from Canyon perhaps!?

Ben6899

cjcp wrote:

I'm close to Regent's Park. Give me a shout if you want to have a pootle round there. Lethargy happens. Your mojo will come back.

Just seen this, cjcp. Thanks, I will. Although how easy is it to "pootle" around the Regent's Park?

Headhuunter

Ben6899 wrote:

cjcp wrote:

I'm close to Regent's Park. Give me a shout if you want to have a pootle round there. Lethargy happens. Your mojo will come back.

Just seen this, cjcp. Thanks, I will. Although how easy is it to "pootle" around the Regent's Park?

We should turn this Regents Park pootle into the Summer Drinks Round 2... I know Ben, you wanted to do the Richmond drinks and so did I but we were unavailable... How about it?

Ben6899

Headhuunter wrote:

Ben6899 wrote:

cjcp wrote:

I'm close to Regent's Park. Give me a shout if you want to have a pootle round there. Lethargy happens. Your mojo will come back.

Just seen this, cjcp. Thanks, I will. Although how easy is it to "pootle" around the Regent's Park?

We should turn this Regents Park pootle into the Summer Drinks Round 2... I know Ben, you wanted to do the Richmond drinks and so did I but we were unavailable... How about it?

I'm game.

Anyone else?

Ride to the park, a dozen laps and then to a nearby bike-friendly pub. Lots of pubs, but I never take my bike, so I would need suggestions on that front.

cjcp

Ben6899 wrote:

cjcp wrote:

I'm close to Regent's Park. Give me a shout if you want to have a pootle round there. Lethargy happens. Your mojo will come back.

Just seen this, cjcp. Thanks, I will. Although how easy is it to "pootle" around the Regent's Park?

Errr, well, it didn't seem possible the last time I was there. But that's a minor detail, right?

Could be on for drinks. Will have to see how it goes and try to make whenever's agreed.

Headhuunter

cjcp wrote:

Ben6899 wrote:

cjcp wrote:

I'm close to Regent's Park. Give me a shout if you want to have a pootle round there. Lethargy happens. Your mojo will come back.

Just seen this, cjcp. Thanks, I will. Although how easy is it to "pootle" around the Regent's Park?

Errr, well, it didn't seem possible the last time I was there. But that's a minor detail, right?

Could be on for drinks. Will have to see how it goes and try to make whenever's agreed.

Do you think we should start a new thread? "Summer Drinks Round 2" or something?

Ben6899

Headhuunter wrote:

cjcp wrote:

Ben6899 wrote:

cjcp wrote:

I'm close to Regent's Park. Give me a shout if you want to have a pootle round there. Lethargy happens. Your mojo will come back.

Just seen this, cjcp. Thanks, I will. Although how easy is it to "pootle" around the Regent's Park?

Errr, well, it didn't seem possible the last time I was there. But that's a minor detail, right?

Could be on for drinks. Will have to see how it goes and try to make whenever's agreed.

Do you think we should start a new thread? "Summer Drinks Round 2" or something?

Over to you.