Week 18 started well with a ride to work on Tuesday monring. Going to work it was relatively hard work managing 15.2 miles per hour, however coming back I was in a really good place and manged to achieve 16.7miles per hour by far my best time and I felt good!!
The weekend was the penultimate team ride, however due to various commitments only 5 of us could make it and then it was complicated!!
Friday started well with us meeting up in Guildford were e, Simon and I set off for Rich's house. As luck would have it Rich lives almost exactly half way between Guildford and John's house. John was going to be riding down to Rich's and Rich was going to meet him enroute allowing him to get his miles in even though he had commitments later that day. We made good progress and got there later than we had hoped, but this was mainly due to a late start (mainly my fault as I did not seem to get my act together that morning!!)
We had a nice cup of tea and a slice of toast before going back to Guildford. In was on the journey back that seems started to go wrong. Firstly John's chain developed a loose link. So we phoned ahead to a bike shiop which Simon knows to ensure we could get it fixed for the next day's ride and then we carried on. However, for John the bad news was just beginning for as we rode to Guildford his knee was starting to hurt quite badly (although fair play to John if he had not told us we would not have known because he did a great job of sticking with us).
When we got to bike shop John was initially told that it would cost a couple of quid to put in a new "super link". Then the mechanic measured John's chain, it had stretched by more than 1%, and thus the mechanic was concerned that the front cogs and rear cogs would need changing - this is not a cheap fix!!
Anyway John got the link put in and got a lift back with Simon to e's house, his knee was still hurting. As I put my bike into my car I noticed that one of the spokes on my back wheel was very loose. So when I got home I had to rebuild the wheel - luckily Zinn's Road Bike Maintenance came to the rescue and I was able to cure the very minor buckle.
The next day we started early, Rich had driven down to join us. John did a quick circuit on his bike and his knee had started to hurt. In my opinion John made the right decision in deciding not to go on the ride as this allows him to rest it and have the best chance of joinning us on the actual event. Simon also had to pull out of the ride, due to extreme saddle soreness!! Ouch!
So if was just Rich, e and I that set out for our 150 ish mile circuit down to Brighton, across to Portsmouth and back to Guildford. The ride started well and whilst in Brighton we took the opportunity for Rish to drop in to see his Grandad whilst e and I had a quick snack. Then is was off along the coast to Portsmouth, as it was FA cup final day the roads were very quiet. We managed to find ourselves a nice little pub and had a great meal (fish and chips!). Then it was back on the road and into the northerly wind and the rain not fun. But we put our heads down and continued with oour routine of having 5 minutes each at the front. As we came off the Sheppard and Flock roundabout on the A31 I was in the lead heading up the hill when my front wheel caught the gulley of the road bridge expansion joint (apparently this is not unusual). I went A over T, and Rich and e followed me!!! We quickly flung our bikes and ourselves of the road and then tried to catch our breath!!
The damage was relatively minor, my bike was scuffed up at the front and the side. Rich's had no problem (as it was his new bike I think he saved his bike but hurt his rear end) and e's rear derailer was slightly bent (luckily he got it fixed the next day no problem).
Anyway after we had dusted ourselves down we all agreed that we had had a lucky escape and made our way back to e's.
Sunday I was feeling a bit sore and had a nice day with the kids before I did a quick 20 mile run down the A246 and up Ranmore. I made good time and felt good - soreness had gone away.
The next week was a nightmare from a work perspective with meetings away for home office and a trip to Europe. So I could not ride to work all week, but the hotel I stayed in has a gym so I got a good work out on Tuesday night. I got back home on Wednesday and the wife and I went to the gym that night. So although I did not get any riding in during the week I did manage to get some exercise in.
On Saturday the wife had made plans for the day to allow me to go for a nice long ride without feeling guity. I set off planning to do some hills before doing a flat circuit around Cranleigh and get 100 mile ride it. As I came down Ranmore I noticed a rattle on my back wheel, I stopped but could not identify any problem. So I continued up Box Hill this time I managed to stay out of the saddle from the "National Trust" sign all the way to the top - I was very please with myself. The noise continued so I checked the bike a few more times and figured out that the spokes were slightly loose. So I stopped in at the bike shop on Box Hill to ask to borrow a spoke key. The mechanic had a quick look, then he advised that all my spokes were loose and that I should take it easy going back. This I did, getting home at 12.30. I had already booked my bike in for a service for the next week and so I took it in a day early telling them that about the problem with the spokes. So now it is fingers crossed until I get my bill next week ;-(
Monday 26 May 2008
Tuesday 13 May 2008
Diary update for weeks 16 &17
The last two weeks have been extremely busy weeks on many fronts.
On 3rd May e, Simon and I set off for another tour starting at Guildford. We left at 7am, e had programmed a route into the Garmin to get us down to Brighton. The route was pretty flat and we made excellent progress. Then we came to "Devils Dyke" which is not a side show in Amsterdam but a pretty big hill. This was a good challenge for us all and when we got to the top I saw a "white bike" for the first time. These are an excellent idea to indicate to all the road users that this is where cyclist has died!!!
With this poignant reminder of our mortality we carried on to Brighton.
Once we got to the coast we stopped off at a local café for a quick cup of tea and a wee stop, this then turned into a buttey stop. Then is was back on the bikes and following the coastal road until we got to Portsmouth. With the wind to our backs we made go progress, unfortunately due to time pressure Simon had to leave us and head back to Guildford. However e and I continued on and before long we were heading back down the A31 and home. As always the part of the A31 south of Farnham was a joy to ride on, and yet to the north of Farnham it was the usual nightmare.
Still we got back to Guildford and when I got home I had completed 158 miles - by far my longest ride, and I felt good afterwards.
Sunday was a rest day and then on Monday was the day of the Send May Fair. The weather was exactly what the wife had ordered warm and bright sunshine. I got down to start building the stall at 9am. Before long the gazzebo up and we started to lay out the tables. We were so lucky the pet food guys next to us lent us a table (we had managed to obtain so many prizes and cakes we could not fit them all on our tables!).
E and I started riding on our turbo trainers and kept going for the whole 4 hours and managed to attract some customers. However, I think the cakes and the prizes attracted them more!!
It was a great success, with us raising ovr £300 on the day. So a big thank you goes out to all our supporters and ofcourse the customers who spent their money (and a special tanks to my wife who did so much to ensure it was a success)
After Bank Holiday Monday life got very busy and so the first time I managed to get out on the bike was Saturday morning. So I was up at 6am and got to Guildford for 7am, then it was off down the A31 for e's new route. It was pretty flat and e set a really good pace. The route was excellent ending up on the A283., before going back to Guildford on the A3100. I got back home at 10.45 after completing just under 70 miles, allowing me to have a great day with the rest of the family.
Sunday the kids when swimming in the morning and as my wife is so lovely she let me go out for a bike ride in the afternoon. As we had not done any hills on Saturday I decided to do my "6 hill challenge". Up Ranmore the steep route, down Ranmore the hairpin route. Then up Box Hill, where I was realy pleased as I managed to really push myself. From the second hair pin onwards I stayed out of the saddle until the top of the hill. Then is was down off the hill and back round to the base. Then back up Ranmore's hair pin route and then back down Ranmore into the centre of Dorking. Remembering that there could be a queue of cars going into the household waste centre I made sure I did not go too fast. Luckily there was no queue to no problems. So I went through Dorking and then up Leigh Hill, once on the otherside I headed for Ewhurst. Once I got to the roundabout at the edge of Ewhurst with the pub I turned around and headed back to Legh Hill, once over the top it was back up Ranmore and then back to the A246.
I got back in just over 4 hours with no stops (I ate one of my "Power bars" on the bike for the first time with no problems), so all in all a great weekend.
On 3rd May e, Simon and I set off for another tour starting at Guildford. We left at 7am, e had programmed a route into the Garmin to get us down to Brighton. The route was pretty flat and we made excellent progress. Then we came to "Devils Dyke" which is not a side show in Amsterdam but a pretty big hill. This was a good challenge for us all and when we got to the top I saw a "white bike" for the first time. These are an excellent idea to indicate to all the road users that this is where cyclist has died!!!
With this poignant reminder of our mortality we carried on to Brighton.
Once we got to the coast we stopped off at a local café for a quick cup of tea and a wee stop, this then turned into a buttey stop. Then is was back on the bikes and following the coastal road until we got to Portsmouth. With the wind to our backs we made go progress, unfortunately due to time pressure Simon had to leave us and head back to Guildford. However e and I continued on and before long we were heading back down the A31 and home. As always the part of the A31 south of Farnham was a joy to ride on, and yet to the north of Farnham it was the usual nightmare.
Still we got back to Guildford and when I got home I had completed 158 miles - by far my longest ride, and I felt good afterwards.
Sunday was a rest day and then on Monday was the day of the Send May Fair. The weather was exactly what the wife had ordered warm and bright sunshine. I got down to start building the stall at 9am. Before long the gazzebo up and we started to lay out the tables. We were so lucky the pet food guys next to us lent us a table (we had managed to obtain so many prizes and cakes we could not fit them all on our tables!).
E and I started riding on our turbo trainers and kept going for the whole 4 hours and managed to attract some customers. However, I think the cakes and the prizes attracted them more!!
It was a great success, with us raising ovr £300 on the day. So a big thank you goes out to all our supporters and ofcourse the customers who spent their money (and a special tanks to my wife who did so much to ensure it was a success)
After Bank Holiday Monday life got very busy and so the first time I managed to get out on the bike was Saturday morning. So I was up at 6am and got to Guildford for 7am, then it was off down the A31 for e's new route. It was pretty flat and e set a really good pace. The route was excellent ending up on the A283., before going back to Guildford on the A3100. I got back home at 10.45 after completing just under 70 miles, allowing me to have a great day with the rest of the family.
Sunday the kids when swimming in the morning and as my wife is so lovely she let me go out for a bike ride in the afternoon. As we had not done any hills on Saturday I decided to do my "6 hill challenge". Up Ranmore the steep route, down Ranmore the hairpin route. Then up Box Hill, where I was realy pleased as I managed to really push myself. From the second hair pin onwards I stayed out of the saddle until the top of the hill. Then is was down off the hill and back round to the base. Then back up Ranmore's hair pin route and then back down Ranmore into the centre of Dorking. Remembering that there could be a queue of cars going into the household waste centre I made sure I did not go too fast. Luckily there was no queue to no problems. So I went through Dorking and then up Leigh Hill, once on the otherside I headed for Ewhurst. Once I got to the roundabout at the edge of Ewhurst with the pub I turned around and headed back to Legh Hill, once over the top it was back up Ranmore and then back to the A246.
I got back in just over 4 hours with no stops (I ate one of my "Power bars" on the bike for the first time with no problems), so all in all a great weekend.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)