PBP 2015

PBP 2015

Qualifying events

March 14th
Cheltenham New Flyer 200k 

April 4th
3 Down 300K

May 9th
7 Across 400k

June 6th
Pair of Kirtons 600k

Accommodation

Hotel Formula 1 in Trappes

Travel Arrangements

Driving distances
Home to Dover approx 103 miles
Home to Newhaven approx 78 miles

Calais to St Quentin en Yvellines approx 180 miles
Dieppe to St Quentin en Yvellines approx 118 miles

Crossing time
Dover Calais crossing time, 30 min checkin 90 min crossing
Newhaven Dieppe crossing time, 4hrs or 6:15 hours, both at night
EuroTunnel, 35 mins

Crossing costs
Dover Calais, £88 maybe
Newhaven Dieppe, £63 maybe, prices not available for august yet
EuroTunnel, £150 maybe, prices not available


training plan from lel

Jan         2 x 100k

Feb        1 x 100K + 1 x 200k

Mar        2 x 200k

Apr         1 x 300k + 1 x 400k

May       1 x 200k + 1 x 600k

Jun         2 x 200k + 1 x 600k

Jul           1 x 200 then LEL

and another




2012

Week beginning Nov 26, Training begins. 60k

Week beginning Dec 3, 60k

Week beginning Dec 10, 80k

Week beginning Dec 17, 80 k

Week beginning Dec, rest and enjoy Christmas!

2013

Week beginning Jan 1, cycle 70k, then 80 following week, then 90, then 100, then 120.

Week beginning 4^th Feb cycle 90k, then 120, then 150, then 100

Week beginning March 4^th cycle 150k, then 200, then 100, then 150

Week beginning April 1^st cycle 200, then rest a week, then cycle 100, then 300, then 200

Week beginning May 6^th cycle 400, then 400, then rest a week, then cycle 200

Week beginning June 3^rd cycle 600, then 200, then 200, then 600

Week beginning June 1^st rest, then cycle 400, then 200, then 150

Then LEL!

Week 15 Sayonara mon petit Pompetamine, Hello hills

Time to part company with my On-one Pompetamine

All cleaned up, serviced and listed on ebay.

2 days and the buy-it-now was taken, perhaps I sold it too cheap and I certainly didn't want to sell it but it needed to go to make way for new projects, farewell it is.

Brucey bonus, the chap that bought the bike off me is an illustrator called Matthew Burton, known for among other things images for cycling mags, on collection he presented me with an original print from a series he did for peloton magazine, not sure what i'll do with it but i quite like it.

No cycling in the week, resting for the Dorset Coast 200k.

Before that though was Bespoked Handbuilt Bike Show. I have been so excited about this show, not quite as excited as last year when i got to present my own bike and it was with some in trepidation as i knew that downlands cycles would be there, who i can't help but feel are mostly responsible for my frame breakage. Anyway moving on from that...this years show was much bigger and as much as I liked last years venue, the new venue at the Olympic Velodrome, Lee Valley Velo Park was fantastic. An absolute pain to find and disorientating when inside but it really was a brilliant venue.

I really enjoyed the show, there were quite a lot of new things to see, mostly re spins on things I had seen before, how much can you vary a bicycle? right?......well it was lacking in some areas where some of the innovators of the past are obviously building bikes for paying customers instead of flights of fancy. There were new builders that were great to see, some more mature than others. There were the eccentric's as well, pushing their imagination, but only a little, influences being seen from other custom scenes such as chopper motorcycles and steam punk.

For me though, despite the excellent execution of some of the bikes there was one frame builder that stood out. Perhaps because it appealed to my own style but I thought Sparrow Cycles were truly standout. Hailing from Liverpool, their machines really oozed creativity and in a subtle way, innovation. The bikes all looked like patina restorations or really old school, to the casual on looker they would have looked like old bikes that were still usable but look closer and the detail was exquisite. These bikes were the only ones that made me look on in wonder, trying to understand how they had achieved what they had, some have still left me intrigued.

Dorset Coast 200k

This was to be a varied adventure, which actually started straight after Bespoked. I had to dash back from London (I say dash but the reality of London traffic was crawl) to get home before my cycling buddy Tim turned up.

After some grub (Indian...yum yum) we loaded the car up and both set off for the Sea. Initially this was to Poole where we would stay the night on Step Dad, John and mother's boat, 'La Mystique'.

Staying the night meant we didn't have a 2 hour journey straight before the 200k ride the next day. Tim seemed quite excited to be staying on the boat, after a cup of tea and a chat it was off to bed.....early start on the morrow :-(

I arose in the morning realising that I had set my alarm 30 minutes late, already I was on the back foot and starting to panic, no panicking from Tim of course. Mum made tea and toast, perfect start, then once in the car we both necked a couple Weetabix breakfast drinks. We had a vanilla one each and I think I had chocolate and Tim had strawberry, the unanimous conclusion was that the vanilla one was the better tasting.

Bikes unloaded and another cup of tea and it was time to set off.

Quite a large entry for an audax, some had already left and some were still faffing but we set off with a large group. The pace was blistering, warp drives engaged we covered 23k in under 45 minutes, i heard mutterings that we had done 30k in 30 minutes but the stats say different. At this point we got on the chain link ferry toward Studland.

Passing Studland Bay, Tim recounted stories of making an exhibition of himself on the beach, I tried to ignore him, closing my ears to such depravity.

The route was predicted to be a hilly one and it didn't "disappoint", the hills were rolling and the sections on the route sheet had anecdotal titles, one of which being the "roller coaster".

The scenery was absolutely stunning, the contrast of lush green grass, black and white cows against a crisp blue sky with the sea in the background. As the day progressively warmed and so we progressively removed layers. 

We hit upon a minor ish snag as we were to cross the MOD firing range.....the MOD were firing, making progression according to the route both illegal and dangerous. Our detour initially took us in the opposite direction, a local lass on the ride informed me in a ridiculous amount of words that if I went left and left again i would then be going in the correct direction, nice of her but nothing I couldn't have worked out for myself. 
We did take the initial left of suggestion, after which the same female whilst with a group of other locals wizzed past, informing us we were on track and to take the next left. However I had other ideas, we had obviously changed direction and added distance, my GPS showed that with a further detour, we regain some Peter's (Peter Kay's...K's....kilometers) whilst discussing this idea, with Tim showing a distinct lack of faith, the organiser arrived with apologies and a suggested change of route in the direction that I had suggested. Off we went fervently determined to now beat the group which went left.

Weymouth was our control, free cup of tea and a stamp for our brevet cards, we sat down for a cooked breakfast and along came the "turn left" group, mighty satisfied we were.

Breakfast devoured we pressed on feeling good and pretty quick. The scenery still ever beautiful.

Next stop was Axminster, a school being manned by a crazy woman threatening to give us detentions if we didn't eat lots of cake. The food was included in our entry fee so we obliged.

The next stint went well, couple of monster hills which made us puff a bit, I was really please that I didn't lag behind Tim by more than a few metres, (it can be hundreds of metres). 
Tim announced that there was a particular jovial anecdotal title for the penultimate section, it had "torturous" in the title. We interpreted this to mean there was a massive hill coming. I had my doubts, I kept trying to remember the route profile and kept thinking there was only one big hill before Dorchester and we had certainly gone up a big hill. We neared Dorchester, closer and closer, we rode through newly built up Georgian style areas. as we entered and exited each square our backsides were pummeled by sharp edged cobble rumble strips. After a few of these we realised "torturous route" wasn't describing a hill, it was the rumble strips, they were indeed torturous.
Our control was to be a cafe in the centre of Dorchester, situated just off a carpark. Dorchester itself is a beautiful town and well worth a visit, the disgusting greasy spoon we had the misfortune to use as our control was not. By far and away the worst eating establishment I have ever been in, The only good thing about this place was is signified only 20k ish to go which meant it kind of felt like the end,a flat route ahead and only 20K it was as good as done. In no time at all it was indeed done. We finished without the need for lights in 11 hours something, which we thought for such a hilly event was pretty good.
We loaded up and set off for home in search of a McDonald's to fuel the drive home. 
Another brilliant ride in the bag which was superbly organised with a beautiful route..

Total distance for the week 208.6K
Total distance for the year so far 1486K

Week 14 can't think of a title for this week

Started the week with a commute home off road stylee on Monday, plan was to mountain bike from work to home all the way, taking in Swinley forest on route, well I was delayed leaving the office and I knew "her in doors" was going out so it all got a bit tight for time.

Nothing to do but go for it and hope I didn't get too much of a telling off for getting back late.

I absolutely rode the wheels off my Genesis, the route slightly differed to usual on the run up to Swinley forest which came and went in a flash. Other side of Swinley I made a mistake and went off course missing a road out which was no bother, bizarrely the road I missed was called "Hodge Lane" what are the chances of that......well just as bizarrely the road i ended up on had house off it called "Christopher cottage"...spooky i thought.

Usual time for mountain bike commute is 2hrs 15 mins to 2 hrs 30 mins, not today, just under 1hr 53 mins, absolutely smashed it, didn't get told off by the misses either, just a mild heart attack, having pedaled as hard as I could, constantly, all the way, chuffed just the same.

Tuesday heralded a return to commuting on my DIY bike, still adorned with it's winter snow tyres, the plus side being i could go cross country on my usual single speed cyclocross route.

It was a bit strange having gears to change, I kept forgetting to change up or down. nice and quick though and great to be back on it.

Wednesday I was working from home which permitted a long lunch, bike ride. I had plotted a route which followed the Burnham Beeches Cycle Way and home again which I thought could have made a nice ride out for my ickle girl.

Considering it is "sold" as a family route, I wasn't impressed, for the first half I largely knew the roads, none of which would I choose to be on and I certainly wouldn't have chosen to be on with my 10 year old.

As I neared Burnham Beeches, the roads opened up a bit and quietened down, knowing that there are some beautiful traffic free roads through the Beeches I was expecting a nice section ahead. This was not to be, the route taking me on a short sharp road straight accross via a massive dip which would have been terrifying for little tot on the way down and unrideable on the way up, not impressed so far!.

Burnham Beeches behind me, the route continued on to Black Park. The roads much nicer for this part but more akin to nice audax roads than family riding roads. 

Some confusion as I got to Black Park itself, then through the park, past the pushchairs and bewildered looking mum's and I was on the return route home following Sustrans cycle network route 61, this I had ridden before and except for having to ride past a school as they kicked out for lunch is a nice quiet ride. Route 61 goes through Upton Park in Slough, somewhere I rarely venture, this time with some time in my back pocket I thought I would see if a couple of places from my childhood had changed in 25 years. Both were next to each other. 

The first was Remote World Model Car Club, back when i were a lad i was into radio control cars and race at this track frequently, it used to cater for electric cars rather than purely IC cars as it does today. It looked a bit posher and more permanent than i remember despite that it once held a round of the world chamionships. Someone was testing their car, the familar sound of a glowfuel engine flat out was a nice blast from the past. 

The next location to visit and ever so slightly more topical was Slough BMX track. 1986 Slough hosted the World BMX Championships, that's right folks, 2 world class venues 50ft apart and in Slough. It was sad to see it had deteriorated significantly, though testament to how well it must have been built, it was still rideable, just not 4 abreast. For old times sake I rode around breathing in the dust of my childhood, and the M4 fumes, remembering the camel humps and the banked corners, I was 10 all over again.

For the remainder of my journey home I wafted along feeling both nostalgic and a little melancholy but the sun was shining and my lunch break nearly over. I arrived home with very much mixed feelings about this route, one thing I was certain of was that the Beeches Cycleway is not a great route to take your kiddiewinks on.

Friday I was back in the office and decided to bike and train it. Uneventful as it was, it was nice to have pedaled all the same.

No cycling at the weekend, though I was satisfied with my varied cycling exploits giving me encouragement for the 200K planned for next week.

Total distance for the week 161.6K

Total distance for the year 1277.4K

Week 13 Ultimo giro per Pompetamine

Last ride for Pompetamine

Due to work commitments again, commuting by cycle wasn't really an option this week, however as everyone knows the weekend starts on Friday

soon as i got home I donned my cycle gear and headed out on my single spped.

Chosen route was what i am calling my "Stolen Morf" route which is a poor anagram of "Mostly Flat Off Road" but i kept remembering it in a different order so "Morf" it is.

I stole it off bikely.com and have ridden it before in torrential rain on my mountain bike but thought at the time that it would be a good single speed cyclocross route.

The sun was shining as i set off and the temperature mild to warm, got into a rhythm and started eating up the miles, my target was less than 2hr's 15mins as that was how long i told No.1 Son when i would be back for food and a film, previously it had taken just under 2hr's 40 on my mountain bike in bad weather but i cut the route short a little.

As i pedaled towards Twyford (i think) the sun was setting beautifully ahead of me, drawing me towards it, encouraging me to pedal harder, it felt like an old fashioned summer day, no sound of cars as rode on an old bridleway through fields, the only thing missing was traditional lemonade and "Little House on the Prairie"

The bumps at times were jarring on my skinny wagon wheels with no suspension, thanks in part to the dry ground with the embedded remains of horse hoof prints. The speed was intoxicating though, faster and faster i pedaled through some of the more technical sections, feeling free and solitary the weeks stresses evaporated.

The fire roads turned to woodland, some but little mud remained from the past flooding, a stark contrast to my last adventure on this route.

Quite stop for an over exposed picture of my Pompetamine as i knew this could be it's swan song.

I continued to tap out a swift rhythm and my time went quick, as i neared home the need for lights arose. I arrived at home in dimpsy light and a little muddy, after 2hrs 14 minutes and 29 seconds, in time for some quality time with my Lad.

Saturday morning started slowly and with some apprehension, i had completed the rebuild on my DIY bike in the week, everything fitting together as it should and set up with ease all be it with some pre-assembly cleaning. My initial intention to ride my 4 bridges route had faded, instead i went for a short, half commute loop to test ride my rebuilt DIY bike. I have been enjoying my single speed so much i was uneasy about getting back on my DIY bike, having invested so much time and money into it and with the trials and tribulations it has thrown at me i wanted it to be the best ever all over again.

Still on its winter tyres which are as safe as they are slow, i limited my expectations. taking the cross country route to disguise the sluggishness of the continentals i was delighted to find that it felt right, the seat needed adjusting but still, it was all gravy.

Ultegra gear changes snappy, solid and quick, Avid BB7 SL brakes responsive and effortless, EC70 bars comfy and vibe free, yes this was the bike i remember and with it's new bare tubes and joints i think i like it a little better than before, possibly with the shine knocked of it a little it felt freeer, not so precious, the gravel paths of no concern, scratches! Pah! the paints missing, how scratched can it get.

I returned home smiling.

Early rise on Sunday, mothering Sunday of course intially was hoped to be a visit to Spin London bike show but i went with the safer option of rallying the sprogs to show their mum some love, didn't go totally according to plan but that's another story,with time available before church me and my baby girl opted for cycling to church. Eve has ridden her bike for a long time but she always seems capable so i wasn't worried about the distance at approx 5 miles each way. I can normally pedal to church in 15 to 20 minutes so i allowed about 45, so i thought but with a bit of faffing we were finally on our way with about 35 minutes to spare.
Eve gave it her best shot, pedalling relentlessly and happily on her 3 ton single speed BMX thing complete with pearlescent pink paint scheme. We proceeded at her leisurely pace with no pressure applied. It was a beautiful morning and we cycled carefree chatting away for 1hr 5 minutes...ooops...pretty late for church, Eve didn't have her bible either, not a good start.
As a Mum's day treat we were planning on cooking a roast dinner, wifes favourite, this meant a fast departure, in hind sight i should have returned solo with Eve coming home in the car but we didn't do that, instead we pootled home, took a detour which i thought might be the same or quicker along the Thames, alas we added a couple of miles and Eve ran out of puff. She'd done very well but we ended up late at home with mummy having to peel the potatoes...oops along with a disgruntled son.
It would also transpire that my rear tyres air would escape at which point I know not but escape it did, given that we were walking the last couple of miles it didn't matter.
This was to be the last ride for my Pompetamine, i shall remember it with fond memories of the many places it has taken me and the adventures enjoyed.

Total distance for the week: 78.8K
Total distance so far this year: 1115.8K

Week 12 Allsorts but not the liquorice kind......

.....although that would be nice

No riding Monday

but

Tuesday saw me pedal to a school parent evening thing at my son's school, a fairly simple ride, made more interesting by my later than I wanted departure and also as I could brag to my son when i got home that I could cycle to his school, why couldn't he?.

I chose a route which followed the jubilee river as far towards maidenhead as it would go, then popped onto the main roads, from there it was pretty much a straight line down the A4 to his school. A beautiful evening with clear skies and the sun still out, i arrived on time at my destination but more than a little sweaty..errrr...on arrival I was greated with tea and some of Mr Kipling's exceeedingly nice cakes.

The ride back was cool and refreshing and my lights did a sufficient job of keeping me out of the water and the stresses of work were a distant memory.

Wednesday followed a similar pattern as I decided to cycle to Bible class, our church being pretty much on the same route as going to my lad's school this came in the form of another lovely jaunt down the jubilee river, dark both ways this time and sweaty both ways too but still thoroughly enjoyable.

Thursday i decided to cycle home from work, all the way, i deliberated over which route to take and settled on what i call my "cross country" route. Not strickly speaking mountain biking as it doesn't include any single track and mountainous hills and terrain but it is mostly off of the road following towpaths and fire roads through woodland areas, you wouldn't want to do it on a normal road bike that's for sure.
As my route home is generally down hill I can do the commute home on any of my bikes, this weeks weapon of choice as is the norm of late was to be my single speed, cyclocross, On-one Pompetamine. I whipped along nicely and with another clear night, the sights and sounds were lovely and felt quite new as this route had mostly be done previously in the dark.

As i approached the 3/4 mark of said journey I was reminded of the weather forecast I had seen earlier in the day.......sunshine at 3:00pm, rain at 6:00pm....well I was going through Windsor Great Park at 6:00pm and right on time, the rain started, bizarrely I didn't notice much, it was certainly evident when i got home and de-robed but my spirits hadn't been dampened.

For Friday I needed to commute back in to work, I did this partially using the train as I don't like my full commute back in to work, partly cos it is up hill and partly cos i dont like the roads and some of the areas i go through. I started quick but ended slow, having not eaten before leaving home i got to the train exhausted, having left a little late, after the restful train journey i was still knackered for the second leg but i did it in an ok time.

Another single speed week much enjoyed.

Saturday more cycling related activity came in the form of finally doing something with my DIY frame after the repair by Argos Cycles. In between supporting both kiddywinks with homework and revision I masked, rubbed down and filed my frame to remove the burnt paint from the repair and tidy the repair welds. Following this I lacquered the bare steel.

Initially I was feeling a little despondent that after all the hard work a year ago, my beautiful creation would look like such a heap of junk, however after a couple of tubes prepared, optimism ensued and in the end I was actually quite pleased with the result.
Now really looking forward to building it back up again

total distance for the week 117.3km
total distance for the year 1037km

Week 7.8.9.10 & 11 my cycling drought ends

Due mainly to going on holiday cycling ceased for 4 weeks !!!!

Week 7 was mostly spent searching for my daughters passport, diplomacy and panic meant that cycling of any description would have been a bad move.

Week 8 was spent basking in the sun in Malaga, exercise came mostly in the form of Table tennis, pool and swimming :-)

Week 9 oh the unpacking and the getting back into work mode grrrrr

Week 10 consumed by work, morning, noon and night, still no cycling

Week 11 Back in the saddle........

Monday started great with a commute to work, i was absolutely buzzing the night before whilst i made preparations, although i thought i was going to struggle, having not cycled in 4 weeks so i set my alarm 5 minutes earlier than normal.

My single speed cross bike is my weapon of choice for commuting these days and it is pretty much perfect.

Due to the flooding in my area i wasn't sure if pedaling along the Thames tow path to Windsor was going to be an option, fortunately for me my gamble paid off and the path was clear and very dry as it happens. Next decision was whether to chance going through Windsor Great Park. The rule is that you can only enter from dawn till dusk, i pedaled on and into the park, initially there is a hill as you proceed through Rangers Gate, then you round a corner and can see across the long walk and Windsor castle, as i did so, i was greeted by the most beautiful tequila sunrise. I reckoned that confirmed that i could legitimately say it was dawn. The rest of the ride was uneventful all be it refreshing (read, pretty chilly) and it was great to be back on the bike.

For my commute home i made a change to my usual routine which is to get ready a bit before i should so i can sprint to the earliest train i can. This always causes me a little stress, as i get to the cycle path 1/2 a mile from the train station i am always met by a legion of students, if i was of a different disposition i would find it hilarious, particularly when its dark, riding up behind these youf's and scaring the living day lights out of them, however they often jump six feet in the air or have to be told repeatidly by their mates to move, bla bla bla, therefore after that long winded explanation, the change i made was to just get the later train. It was bliss no traffic outside the schools and no critical mass of students.

I knew it would be bright enough to go the Windsor Great Park which i did. overall it was a billiant commute, arriving home famished and overjoyed about how great it was to be pedalling again.

Tuesday, wow where do i start.......i was working from home...this was particularly useful as

I had been invited to participate in a focus group for Cyclist magazine, whereby i had been asked, along with other equally awesome cyclists to talk about cycling and cycling magazines. For my expert views and opinions i would be rewarded with a heart stopping ride through London from the train station to the venue, free sandwiches, juice and Beer with a £50 note to take away. This was all performed hipster style with my single speed and my jeans turned up, oh yer baby, i blended right in.

It was a great evening, really interesting. Most of the others were preferring a publication called Cycling Active and thought Cyclist was a bit elitist, i disagreed. Strangely i had only just started reading the issues of Cyclist which i had purchased as part of a free offer some months ago. I have to say i think it is a brilliant magazine with beautiful photography, i will certainly be seeking it out more in the future or reading it in the library (WHSmiths), other publications are available, indeed Cycling Active is quite good for the beginner and Cycling Plus is better still for someone who knows a bit more...in my opinion.

Ah but before i got to go to go and do the above i discovered something amazing. BTW i am still excited which is why i am rambling on.

From previous blog entries you may or may not be aware that i have an entry for Eroica Britannia , a retro cycling event and festival which makes it's British debut this year. This event is in association with L'Eroica which is in Tuscany where the riders cycle on the now protected white gravel roads of the area. Getting an entry to L'Eroica is pretty tricky, it is by ballot, unless your a journalist, it is also limited greatly if you are a non national. I thought it might work like the marathon ballot.....apply, don't get in but then you stand a better chance the following year and so on and so forth. Well it doesn't. The Mayor of Gaiole in Chianti drawers the application numbers out of a hat.

Guess what happened....go on guess....oh alright then...i'm in........ WOOHOo

I don't believe it

My euphoria ebbed and rose frequently as i fought in my own mind, the practicalities of actually going. Moving from flirting with the attitude of "i simply must go" to "but i haven't got any money and the Mrs will kill me".

Wednesday there was a plan, it involved getting up early, working from home, pedaling a stolen route at lunchtime then carry on working........this didn't go according to plan...... i overslept a little, i worked, i got distracted, i didn't cycle, instead i looked up flights to Tuscany, i carried on working.

The wife came home, with a heavy heart i spilled the beans on my entry to L'Eroica, she said....."i've always wanted to go to Italy, is this bike ride of yours in a nice bit?" "Tuscany" i say "is one of the most beautiful places in the world let alone in italy, yes it is a nice bit" she says "why don't we all go and make a family holiday of it" i nearly crap myself with excitement and say "ok"....................double Woohoo...........she was partly persuaded by the fact that my accumulation of airmiles means we can get there cheap as chips.........the kids are home so i refrain from doing a stupid dance around the kitchen and just play it cool whilst inside i am woohooing big time.

That night i stayed up late looking at pictures and videos of past L'Eroica's which meant i was too tired to get up early and cycle to work Thursday

Friday was rock and roll to work day again, the fog was unbelievable, poor visibility it certainly was. Based on Monday being dawn as i went through Windsor great park i ignored the fact that due to the fog is was really dark and proceeded through it anyway.

it was a lovely and uneventful commute both to and from work, the beautiful sunshine of the journey home was a great reward to what had been a polarising week of happiness and deep concentration on work stuff. 

Despite other plans to raid the local trails and roads on 2 wheels over the weekend, the sunshine called me to the garden for home improvement.

total distance for the week 112.4K

total distance for the year 919.7K

Week 6 The Phoenix has risen......

.....well i have got my DIY frame back anyway

The week got off to a cracking start, with the weather forecast looking favourable for Monday and Tuesday, i got my gear together to follow suite.

Monday commute was lovely, fast and smooth, proto phone managed to record leg 1 & 2 but failed on leg's 3 & 4, slightly irritating but the ride was good and yet again i was able to get through Windsor Great Park and yet again i needed a "comfort" break

This was all well and good but the really great thing about Monday was the phone call i received to tell me my bike frames were ready to be posted back me repaired, namely this was my DIY custom disc brake road bike and my Orange Evo2 mountain bike.

As good as this was, it was 3 weeks early, which meant it was also before payday! However i should have sufficient time to get the Genesis cyclocross stripped down and and the frame on eBay with enough time to get rid and some money in the back before pay day.

Tuesday provided another fine commute, this time a little slower as i seemed to have contracted a throat infection in the previous 24hrs, providing me with less than wonderful nights sleep. 

But the best thing about Tuesday was my frames arrived. My road bike looked as good as i could have hoped really, funds didn't allow for a repaint so i need to make the best of a bad job and tidy the edges up where the paint is filed down and burnt at the edges, i think i can make it look presentable enough, the lacquer looks to have crazed a bit on the graphics, which is a shame but only noticeable close up. All in all it will look a bit odd but that fits i reckon, i don't think there has ever been anything in my life  that hasn't been dis functional and less than perfect in some ways, that's just the way i roll i guess :-)

Much working from home this week, so my commute didn't extend beyond walking to the dining room so no cycle commuting.

Having checked the weather forecast it appeared that wednesday and thursday's rain would dry up on Friday and indeed it did. Game on for a pedal after work time i reckoned.

Friday 4:30 I was out the door on a new adventure, i had stolen a route off bikely.com which went from near my house over towards dorney and onto knowl hill, using a combination of cycle network routes and bridleways.
To say i didn't start well would be an understatement, i was dead chuffed to be out on my mountain bike, although i quickly realised that i had forgotten to adjust the pitch of the saddle but it wasn't that bad. I live by a stream, this stream is adjacent to a common, the common has got pretty water logged in places, the start of my route would take me along the edge of the stream and common up to the jubilee river to pick up the stolen trail. I could see in the distance swans paddling and some moor hens where the stream and the "pond" on the common have joined, this i had not taken into account, i carried on regardless, thinking it couldn't get that deep, this was largely true, i was a little concerned by the proximity to a swan that was making no effort to paddle away as i approached, this would turn out to be a mistake on the part of the swan. looking back i do remember registering that just where the swan was doing whatever a swan does, the water was flowing fast from the left towards the stream, it became apparent why as i tried to cycle past the swan. 
Either by some bizarre profile of bank errosion or by some thames water official, there was a trench, just over 2 foot accross and about 2 foot deep, i know this because it is about mountain bike wheel size. Wheel in up to the fork crown, bike straight over and me with it, over the handlebars into the water. Tell you what, that Swan didn't 'alf move quickly. I laughed, the swan didn't, good start to my ride, not a hundred yards from my house. There is a slightly serious element to this though. Thames water sewage works is up stream and is overflowing into the aforementioned stream and have contaminated it to an extent where they are oxygenating the water day and night, as i picked myself up i did noticed that there were a lot of bits in the water but i didn't notice any Andrex, so we'll assume its OK.

Onwards I went all be it a little damp and pretty filthy but my senses were sharpened and no more would i take a puddle for granted.

It was a beautiful evening, not much cloud, those that could be seen made pretty patterns in the sky, although i had to keep an eye on my gps, i quickly slipped into day dream mode, it was great to be out and pedaling carefree.
Due to my poor navigation skills i ended up doing the route the opposite way round, there are 2 points where it crosses over itself, given that if I wasn't trying to go a specific wy, my chances would be 50/50, it is quite incredible that I ended up choosing incorrectly both times, as it happens it didn't matter as the route is mainly flat.
The ground under wheel seemed largely firm for quite some time, this was to change as the daylight faded.
They puddles and boggyness seemed to get progressively worse, to add to the mood, about half way, it started to sort of rain, maybe sleet or snow, I wasn't bothered. Down the bridleways i saw wildlife a plenty, unfortunately it was always running away, rabbits, squirrels and a couple of deers, this was a cracking route for being away from the busy roads.
Many times I considered this to be a great route for my single speed cyclocross, specially with the boggy mud doing its best to clog up my gears, my scottoiler kept the shifting perfectly smooth, although it was just on empty when i got home.
2/3rd's round the loop and both my lights starting to fade, the weather was now serious rain and I had to dip the bar light and the head light would dim now and again to let me know I was on borrowed time, this lead me to cut a corner off which looked muddy. I had my glasses pirched on the end of my nose so i could see, I thought it best to get home as quick as possible, unfortunately i didn't have a scooby doo where i was so i kept to the route and kept the pedals turning.
It's fair to say i have ridden in the rain a lot and, to be honest, on this occasion i didn't really notice it, this was helped by the surprisingly good job my cheapo Dare2Be jacket was doing to keep the water out, my legs were soaked through and my shoes full of water from wading through loads deep puddles and fords. The rain now, was full on and i noticed on one section of road that it was coming up through the drains like fountains.
Not wanting to repeat the incident at the start of my ride, I opted for the road route back to my house from Dorney rowing lake, home after 2 1/2 hours it was a great ride, i loved every minute of it, despite the trials and tribulations, next time I'll charge my lights up properly and go single speed, maybe even the right way round. 

Truth be known i probably shouldn't have gone for a pedal on friday and i probably shouldn't have commuted on Tuesday as i wasn't feeling my best, well i got worse, no more cycling this week, doctors appointment awaits on Monday morning :-(

Other news....

The latest copy of Arrivee magazine arrived (The Audax UK publication) this week, for a changed in contained lots of articles which i found interesting, more interesting than the articles though was the photo on the inside of the back cover. Taken on the LEL Prologue ride (the 30 mile ride before the start of the 1400K London-Edinburgh-London) it serves a great where's wally image. I've helped you out though an shown you where wally is, highlighted by a blue arrow.

total distance this week 122.6K
total for the year so far 807.3K

Week 5 First Ride......

........on my sweet new build

Monday was at last an executed opportunity to ride the mountain bike i built back in November.

After selling my single speed frame i set about building a geared mountain bike as although it was lots of fun, it was limiting in terms of the routes i could do.

So my new build was based around a Genesis Altitude, constructed from Reynolds 853 tubing. The geometry was again similar to my Orange Evo2 but a bit longer like the Genesis IOID but is designed for a 130mm fork where the others weren't although my Fox Talas 32's have 130mm.

That said, the opportunity was lunchtime blast on my old faithful route at the back of where i work.

Being the first time i have been out on a mountain bike in ages, despite riding my road bike a fair bit, it was a bit of a struggle. Fortunately the bike was an absolute flyer, it felt really quick and nimble, great rear wheel steering on the sloppy trails, the balance was perfect, the bike was certrainly willing even if the body was knackered.

It wasn't a fast lap but i did get up the offroad section of Beacon hill, always a good measure of fitness and skill of course ;-)

At the end of my blast, i came to 2 conclusions, the bike is nigh on perfect and my phone had crashed, losing my strava track. A bitter sweet ride.

Tuesday promised a good weather day and it didn't disappoint, lovely ride in the morning with a little aimless day dreaming, journey home was dampened a little by a spell of rain but not much. The clouds cleared quite soon after getting off the train revealing just enough daylight for me to chance going through Windsor great park (not allowed in there after dark) I got through uninhibited and after a "comfort" break i was back on track and splashing through muddy puddles carefree. The only down side was that due to temperatures being below 10 degrees i am using my cyclocross with my continental winter tyres on, which BTW, are still awesomely grippy, missing my single speed already but better to stay safe i reckon.

This was the sum total of my cycling this week

Other news....

Still excited about getting my entry into L'Eroica Britannia, so excited in fact that that i have entered the ballot for L'Eroica Italia. I feel it unlikely that i get it, i have entered on the assumption that i wont get in this year, my entry for next year may be considered more favorably. However if i do get in, some serious grovelling might be required on the home front as there is no way i would want to miss such an event.

Have been doing some tidying up on my blog deleting old links and refreshing the links to events i would like to have a go at and have set up planning pages for the Easter Arrow, this will be the furthest i have ridden (if i make it) so much capitulating must be done.

This week i took delivery of an 'ickle project bike frame, lovely design of frame in shocking condition for me to turn into something fabulous, darling.

Peter Kay's for this week 63.4

Total distance this year 684.7K

Easter Arrow 400K Audax 2014

Easter Arrow

Control distances are:
 

Leg                                                 Leg Dist.      Accrued distance

Studley to Alcester                          6.7km

Alcester to Rugby                           50.7km         (57.4)

Rugby to Great Easton                   46.6km         (104km)

Great Easton to St Ives                  60km            (164km)

St Ives to Kirton                              83.3km         (247.3km)

Kirton to Market Rasen                  68.8km          (316.1km) 

Market Rasen to Pocklington         84.1km         (400.2km) 

Pocklington to York (YO24 1AU)    22.5km         (422.7km)

AUK link to the event here

Planned route is here 

Logistics:

Start from Tim's house on Good Friday before 7:00am

24hrs later  arrive in York at the Punchbowl Wetherspoons pub

Train back to Redditch via Birmingham

Cost approx £22

Controls:

STUDLEY

ALCESTER

RUGBY

GREAT EASTON

ST IVES (PE27 6RR)

KIRTON

MARKET RASEN

POCKLINGTON

YORK (YO24 1AU)

Official Google route to satisfy AUK rules is here

Rules:

EASTER & SUMMER ARROWS TO YORK

NB This ride the Easter Arrow may be substitituted for the FLECHE VELOCIO in FRANCE WHEN CLAIMING FROM A.C.P your FREE Brevet 5000 medal

1. TEAMS of 3 to 5 riders [Tandems counting as one unit].

2. DISTANCES/ TIMES  - MINIMUM of 360 kms in 24 hours, though you are strongly advised to plan a higher mileage. At the finish, distances of 15% above or 20% below the one stated before you set off, cannot be validated .

3.ROUTES must be the shortest distance between control points, calculated in Kms, from OS AUTOROUTE or similar maps. The itinerary cannot use the same stretch or road twice. In the event of a diversion {roadworks or the like} , a stamp must be obtained at the furthest point. Routes can be circular and in any direction but eventually heading for YORK. *We have a route already, I planned controls and Chris turned this into GPX.

4. DISQUALIFICATION will result for the failure to have night time good lighting or the acceptance of help from anyone outside the team or from an undeclared support car. Teams who need this support must declare the number of the vehicle and the location(s) of contact.

5. PROCEDURE FOR ENTRY : forward to the organiser the proposed route. The captain will receive back a copy of the itinerary with possibly suggested modifications . Riders to complete the standard AUK entry forms. *Have not officially forwarded proposed route yet, not sure what the standard AUK entry form is

6. DEPARTURE: each rider is to write on the card places and times agreed with the organiser. Team may leave any time between Thursday PM and Saturday noon. *We leave Friday breakfast time

7.CONTROLS : A stamp, receipt or ATM print-out with time of passage must be obtained and the start time and place adhered to.

8. ON THE ROAD: no deviation from the chosen route except in an emergency. Riders must carry their own card. Passing time at the controls must be written besides the stamps obtained .

9.   22ND HOUR: of the ride; the team must obtain  a stamp etc and write on the card the nearest point reached, wherever it may be.

10.   A MINIMUM DISTANCE :  of 25 kms MUST separate the place traversed between the hours of 22 & 24.

11.   ARRIVAL. A stamp is to be obtained at the nearest place reached at or after the 24th hour.     This does not have to be YORK. Add the place , time & distance covered.

12.   VALIDATION;  will be awarded to a team of 3 riders [minimum} who complete an identical distance. Lone riders who comply with the regs may claim AUK but not ACP validation

13.    ENTRY FEE  of £10 per team is to be sent to the organiser [cheques payable to him please. *was actually £12 and have paid already