Friday, November 21, 2014

Trike Testing

After my very successful trip to Edinburgh and ride around on the Ice Trike I wanted to test it on my local roads. After all, urban riding on cycle tracks and in the hurly burly of town traffic is not what I do. I wanted to see if it (or rather I) could climb some of the local hills and if we could have fun coming down them again. Very kindly David from Laid Back Bikes agreed that I could "borrow" the trike and give it a test up here. Of course that also meant seeing how the trike folded up so I could fit it into the car. It's not exactly bijou when it's folded but it just about fits in the boot of my saloon. On the return journey I found I could keep one of the split seats up which held it nicely in position. The problem with something with wheels is that it has a tendency to roll! It is great to know that I can transport one relatively easily.
The fun part arrived when I got back home. Man handling a folded up trike is, without doubt, something that comes with practice. Which I don't have. Added to the mix the fact that it is not mine and you might see why this was a nervous operation. The darkness didn't help. I got it out and into the garage. I now know that an easier method would have been to unfold it and carry it in. Although the package would have been longer it would also have been more rigid. However, I did the unfolding in the garage and suddenly I had a more recognisable shape in front of me. Next the seat. It took me a little while to get this right but for a first effort it was ok. A trike in my garage ready to roll. How exciting was that?
Actually it wasn't quite ready to roll. I needed to put a bag on it and get the right tools in there, add a front light etc. But that's all quite mundane so we will skip that. Suffice to say the rack bag that fits the tandem slipped nicely onto the sightly narrower rack on the Sprint. David's worries that it might slip proved groundless the next day. Good old Carradice! David should get special thanks for fitting a rear light and providing an spare inner tube for the 20 inch front wheels. There's real service. And I'm only a potential customer!
I'd love to say that the next day dawned bright and sunny but it didn't. Grey and wet was what it was, much to my disgust. The forecast promised better, and soon, so I got ready. And right enough I didn't have to delay my intended departure long for the rain to stop. Up and down the street to see that I'd got the cranks at the right distance and to test that I remembered how and then I was off. Then it rained again. Thankfully not for long.

Ready to roll
My plan was to do a relatively hilly loop, nothing too extreme, just a good test. Actually the first little hill came before I even started the computer. My ride start point is just opposite the West Port in St. Andrews and there's a little ramp I need to go up to get there. I notice it on all my bikes, so it was no surprise I ended up plodding my way up it in the trike. Then a left, hit the start button on the computer and the test really had begun.
I got my first surprise of the day when I needed to turn right up the hill to Strathkinness. Obviously I needed to cross the lane coming the other way. So I indicated, pulled out and got in position to turn right. A car was coming the other way so I slowed down only to find them coming to a halt and signalling that I should proceed. Either the trike and I looked very scary or so different that something needed to be done. This has never happened to me on my upright bike and I don't think it has ever happened on the tandem. What makes trikes so different?
Thanks to the overnight rain the roads were soaking and there were puddles everywhere. I felt sorry for the trike. And even more sorry for me when I got a soaking despite the mudguards. The problem with the recumbent position is there really is nowhere to go. The downhill section after Strathkinness was fun. I was mindful not to roll the trike so took it a little bit more easily down the hill than I might on a two-wheeler but it was still fun. Over 30 mph that close to the road feels really fast.
The climb to Dairsie was ok apart from another soaking and I headed out to Thai Teak. This is a road well known to me but, along with all the others I did, it really was a new perspective. Although much lower down and, therefore, unable to see over walls etc the overwhelming sense is one of being able to look around and enjoy the view. My serenity got a rude awakening as I made my way along to Thai Teak though. I realised (my hearing is not too bad) that the front left mudguard had come loose and was a) rattling something awful and b) interfering with the wheel. Now here's something you can't do on a regular bike. I slowed a little, took the mudguard in my left hand and held it away from the wheel until I could make the turn into the bottom of the hill and its much quieter road. There I fished out the multi-tool and tightened up the fittings. I checked the front right and the rear as well for good measure. Fife roads must be rougher than Edinburgh ones!

Up that?
That left me at the bottom of the Thai Teak climb. An ever steepening ramp of about 0.7 miles. It's good hill climbing training. Once I had the correct chainring selected it went relatively smoothly. Not quickly but ok, and my heart rate was lower than normal. So there's definite room for improvement. As I was to find for most of the ride my cardio vascular system was not the limiting factor. For better times I need to build some "recumbent legs".
The ride into Cupar was ok. It rolls a little and then you get a good run into Cupar itself. I was still a little apprehensive about letting trike roll so didn't achieve personal best territory here. It's also urban so not the best place to be trying to see just how fast the trike will go downhill. I was pointed out by a father to his child as I swept through the corner at the bottom. A rare sight indeed, then!
Through Cupar and on to a fairer test of my recumbent climbing ability. Garlie Bank is a 1.4 mile climb of around 3-5%. One I tend just to pick a gear and spin on. And that's what I did. To my surprise I was faster than I've been up it on the tandem but of course much slower than my single bike. That didn't detract from the fact that I climbed it without much fuss and with a reasonable heart rate and cadence. The irritating moment came near the top when I managed to drop my water bottle as I was attempting to put it into the cage. With the trike it's a bit harder just to stop because you need to find a safe place for the machine. I did, parked up, and then strolled back for the offending bottle. That did give me the excuse for some photos.

Water bottle replaced...
The little climb in Craigrothie went ok (I didn't beat the tandem here) and then it was time for some fun, or so I thought. The ride home. From Craigrothie it should be relatively quick to Ceres, and then the same from there to Pitscottie after which there's a bit of climbing before the blast down from Blebo to St. Andrews. But this is where my major problem with the trike reared it's head. It's called pedal steer. And from what I read, Ice Trikes are supposed to have only a little (or none). What happens is this. As you pedal the bike steers towards the active leg. So on what I hoped might be good fast bits I found myself being very alarmed as the bike went left, right, left, right etc. To be fair it happened all the way round on my ride but it was worse at speed and high cadences. Which was annoying, as that's how I like ride fast; lower gear with a high cadence. It was pronounced enough to cause me to back off. And that's not good for my long term relationship with trikes.
Still, I made it back to St. Andrews and for the most part it was great fun. My route home from the edge of town was slightly longer than usual as I had promised The Groover a look. Most of the office disgorged to have a look at the odd contraption. Some even got in (on?) to see if they liked it. Slippers and pipes came up in the conversation.
On my way home I passed the nearby primary school. Again the trike proved popular with kids running up to the wall to look at, and pass comment on, the strange human powered vehicle. It's very odd getting even more attention than we receive on the tandem.
Once home I had to give the poor trike a clean. It looked like it had been in a war with mud and had lost. I got most of the obvious muck off and, to my shame, left David to clean the insides of the mudguards etc. Then, fold and pack into the car for transportation to Edinburgh. This whole operation and the reverse, once in Edinburgh, was so much easier and this was only my second attempt so I can confidently say that this part of the package Ice have got very much correct.

The Ride



The Verdict

Will I be riding a trike soon? It's a fair question and one I can't answer yet. And there in lies my disappointment. Without the pedal steer issue I'm 99% certain the answer would be yes. And then my further decisions would be what kind of seat (I want to try the hardshell one rather than the mesh one in the pictures) and what gearing. I also don't know if it is a non-issue, something that might go away if I rode the trike more regularly. All new skills take time to master. With it I might be re-looking at the weird world of two wheeled recumbents.
As a message to David, at Laid Back, you've certainly not seen the last of me, sorry!

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Cycling the laid back way

This post will put the blog a little out of date order but I wanted to get it down quickly before I forget. So here it is. The photos in this are by kind permission of David Gardiner.

Yesterday I spent a very entertaining and instructive half day in the company of David Gardiner, of Laid Back Bikes in Edinburgh who specialise in recumbent cycling. I had a few reasons for doing this. There's the interest angle. Cycling lying down is somewhat efficient as you reduce your frontal area. It's also more comfortable as you spread your weight over more surface area, you can take the weight of your hands and you don't have to pull your head up as much. The last two points are of great interest for me. This year I've been suffering from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (almost certainly but not entirely diagnosed)  in both wrists and from back and neck problems. Both of these could be caused in part, or all, by my day job; sitting with computers. But neither are helped by the cycling and that's a fact. So the comfort thing appeals.

As luck would have it I needed to be in Edinburgh to do some other stuff (luckily after the sun had gone down) and that meant the opportunity to go and have a look. If you look at the Laid Back website you'll see some odd opening hours but David agreed to open up and let me see what I thought. And, then, perhaps a ride to see how I felt about the machine. I arrived at the appointed time and there was no mistaking my host for the day. His lovely looking recumbent was outside the shop and he was opening up. I suspect I wasn't too difficult to spot either. A man dressed in cycling gear but walking along is probably the potential customer. So in, a wee chat and then "how about you try the recumbent?".

So I did and it wasn't an entire failure but on the day it wasn't for me. Just too odd and too much like I was 8 years old again and learning to ride. The experience for me wasn't helped as I found David's seat uncomfortable to sit in, yet alone try to cycle. I was very wobbly. David said I was doing all right but I think he was probably holding on. It was a very strange experience. But one that hasn't left me going "Oh, no". I think I would like to try it again.

One of objectives of my visit was to see if I even liked lying down whilst cycling. I've never really got on with recumbent exercise bikes, I've always found them uncomfortable too. I've always put that down to bad design, hence the visit.

Back in the shop I could see the other option; a recumbent trike. Far less chance of falling over but with all the benefits of testing the "feet first, head last" position. Davis suggested a trip out to Silverknowes and back to see how it went. A little bit of fettling to get the cranks in the right place for me, a shuffle through the door and we were off. City cycling is not something I do so as well as an unfamiliar vehicle, I was also dealing with unfamiliar roads and shared paths. Luckily David is used to giving guided tours and his instructions floating back to me and his ever present hand signals were great all day. We got through the Meadows, out past the Kings Theatre and onto a nice quiet cycle path. I would not have wanted to ride a two-wheeler though that so the the stability of the trike was ideal. To stop all I needed to do was put the brake on. No worries about falling over which left me to concentrate on the traffic, David, my gears and steering.

Starting out - in the Meadows

Survived to the next cycle path
I was riding an ICE Trike which meant I had under seat steering. It's very intuitive. If you've ever ridden a sledge, or indeed built an old fashioned go kart with string and a crossbar, you know how to steer one of these. The gears were relatively easy too, once I worked out which way the to move shift levers. I did however drop the chain off the front derailleur (it really is at the front - you look straight at it) at one point. But this showed the brilliance of a trike design. Stopping required no panic. Stop, apply parking brake and then unclip. Fantastic. A quick apology to David, who was waiting patiently at the top of a slope, and after fixing the problem I was off again.

All this ease of riding left me able to enjoy the experience. Which was great actually. I grew up in Edinburgh but the never cycled there so all the cycle paths were new to me. Every now and again we would pop up (or down) to join the normal roads and I would know where I was. And then get confused at David's next hand signal indicating another path. We soon reached Silverknowes and a basic but excellent cafe. As any long term readers of this blog will know I do it for the coffee and cake so this was an added bonus. I particularly liked the question we got from one of the other customers "When you grow up, do you get bigger bikes?" I'm sure David's heard them all.

After some refreshments and general bike chat we decided to head off. David suggested extending the run a little (it must have been my talk about riding up to Glenshee and other idiocies) which meant we were going to make our way to Holyrood Park, underneath Edinburgh's iconic Arthur's Seat.

Crammond beach
More cycle paths ensued with me watching David cycle effortlessly on his two wheels while I tried to make it look like my three wheeled machine was the most natural thing in the world. We got an interesting array of glances, stares and other looks. David would announce his presence with a polite bell and I would follow it up with a "slightly wider, coming through". Occasionally we managed two abreast and some conversation. Apart from the odd sight of my feet whirling round and round in front of me, it felt just like any other meet up on the road. 

Eventually we popped out on to the roads. As I said before I don't really do city cycling so the amount of traffic was a slightly unusual experience. And then we needed to go along a little bit of London Road. My mirror became much more useful here although I had been checking it regularly as we went along. This one item highlights a big difference between my upright bikes and this trike.
Riding the trike I had much more of a feeling of being in the machine rather than on it. And in the town my riding was much more like driving a car. Indicators would have been great. David decided we should cut down a little lane which meant we had to cross the traffic. This was probably the only time I was a little concerned about my height; the trike is low. Over speed bumps I did occasionally catch my lower heel; I'm sure that's one of these things you just get used to. It was here we were treated to a lovely piece of driving. A big 4x4 slowed and let us cross the other lane. Cooperative driving is always great to see but this really brought a smile to my face.

We'd been working hard enough to get up a sweat (well, I had) and after a trip down the lane and through a narrow gate I had to dispense with my waterproof. Luckily David had room in his rack bag otherwise I might have melted. The problem with the seat is that you can't just stick something like a waterproof up your jersey. I'm not too sure how flapjacks, gels and all the other paraphernalia work on a recumbent. Although the trike was easy to ride no hands, or just with the lightest touch with one. Feeding youself shouldn't be onerous.

Arthur's Seat and our wheels

Getting rid of the waterproof was part of my plan to take David up on a throw away offer of a ride up the hill road on Arthur's Seat. So far we hadn't really done anything remotely serious in the hill category and I wanted to see what it was like. David agreed with the warning that the traffic might be "interesting". But in the end when we made our way across to the hill road we found it closed to cars so it was a non-problem. At the bottom David signalled that I could try riding under the barrier but I didn't understand so I missed my chance of a trike limbo moment. The hill wasn't too bad at all. I know it wasn't long or overly steep but it was a good try out on a first day out. Of course it also gave me the chance to try out a steeper descent. Another warning from came David about carrying too much speed into the roundabout, and it was probably quite wise. It may have been that he wanted to get ahead though!

Heading to the hill

Proper climbing

Still going up

Admiring the view from my armchair
What a great day to be out - Dunsapie Loch
I got a bit confused here when David seemed to turn away from where I thought we were going but he wanted to show me the Innocent Railway Tunnel. I actually found this the toughest ramp of the day. Perhaps I was just getting a little tired. It is one of those very slight inclined drags. Your eyes just tell you that you should be blasting along but somehow gravity grabs at your wheels. Up and out of there and back to the roads. Here we had a definite indication I was getting tired when I mis-judged a traffic light and went flying through as it changed to amber. Quite rightly it earned me a "horn of rebuke" from a driver. My apologies. David, the gent he is, had stopped properly so my punishment was to sit by the side of the road waiting for him. Then it was a short trip back to the shop. And bacon rolls from the cafe next door, nice!
I can't thank David enough for an excellent introduction to the mad world of lying down while cycling.

The ride

I'm really disappointed I didn't take my Garmin and gubbins because I'd love to have the metrics from this ride. But I don't. I think all told we were out for about 2.5 hours and we went about 18 miles. However we weren't riding all the time, and it's not the kind of riding where you get to blast along for hours at a time. So I have nothing to judge it against. But I do know it was fun. This is the route as far as I remember.



What's next

I've done one of David's excellent tours and I would advise anyone with even a passing interest in self propulsion to go and try the trike experience. It's like grown up go-karting; that's the only thing I can compare it to.
However a good part of the day for me was to see how I like the idea of going recumbent on a more permanent basis. Or at least on a more than occasional basis. And right now that's where I'm stuck. I think I need to answer some questions before I can think about going forward:

  • Can I ride a two wheeled recumbent? That's still an largely unscratched itch. I need to find a recumbent where the seat isn't instantly uncomfortable. Maybe just a different size.
  • Is the trike good enough for longer solo days on the road? It was great around town but that's not my style.
  • Can I be fast enough on the trike?
  • Or on a two wheeled recumbent?
What I can say is that distance on the trike gave me no back or neck issues and my hands loved me. No weight on them at all. And the brakes were much less painful to apply. But if I have wrist surgery that might not be a problem at all.
And the other thing I can most definitely say is that riding the trike didn't put me off the whole laid back approach at all. And that just doesn't help one little bit. Watch this space as they say.

Friday, October 17, 2014

Domestiques and wheelsucking

Another article from a ride earlier in the year. Photos by kind permission of the Groover, and thanks to Google for the view....

Prologue


"I'm going to have to stop, guys". Never words you want to say when out riding, especially when you've got two strong compatriots (a.k.a domestiques) riding with you for the day. But I just had to stop. Not a full blown bonk, but definitely a failure to keep up with the energy requirements of this long day. At this particular point I was wondering why I was even there.

The Event


So back to the beginning. Colleagues and Strava mates, Spin Diesel and The Groover and I had set out from St Andrews at the ungodly hour of 6 am; Spin having already cycled from Broughtyferry to get there. Strong, and mad with it, that boy. The plan was to cycle to the Glenshee ski centre and back. Just for fun you understand. The first section to Perth went relatively smoothly and we arrived in Blairgowrie unscathed and happy with the time.
Having scoped various bits of this ride I knew the little Scotmid store would be open for us to fill our water bottles and have the first wee break of the day. What I didn't count on was the small group of local revellers who had obviously been out all night. I'm sure that to a bystander the juxtaposition of three lycra clad cyclists and 4 or 5 party animals in their glad rags would have been highly amusing.  Mostly we felt it was time for us to move on.
Coming out of Blairgowrie was the first tricky part of the day. It's a steep bit of road and it is just a little long to be called a ramp.  I didn't remember it being so hard and the fact that my companions were obviously finding it ok was a bit demoralising.  Memories of getting off on the hill to the ski centre were high in my mind already and I had no desire to repeat that experience here, or there later on for that matter.
Over the hill and then into the endless rise, fall, rise again of the road up to the Spittal of Glenshee. Having been there before I had the advantage over The Groover who wondered occasionally why we weren't speeding along a little flat bit. "Energy conservation, that's what" said I as we turned a corner to find another steep, nasty, little ramp. And so we rolled.
We reached the Spittal in one piece despite the attentions of a black Audi who appeared to want to drive us off the road. We had a lovely sensation of schadenfruede when we passed it a little while later, stopped in a layby with someone peering anxiously at the front end. They passed us again but with much more care. The Spittal also had the unnerving sight of the burnt down hotel. Less place of refuge and more place needing love and care foisted upon it.
And then the road turns and you can see the glen and the pass at the end. Actually you can't see the pass, just a road winding it's way up a hillside and going round a ridge. But you know the pass is there, honest. I didn't remember the way up from here being so lumpy and I was desperately trying to save all the energy I could for the exertions to follow. Eventually we got to the bottom of the main hill, and the target for the day. This was the itch I needed to scratch. An attempt to regain some self respect. The last time I had climbed off with about 200 yards to go. That time I hadn't had company but I also hadn't cycled from home either. Here's the view.


I have to hand it to the boys. Much lighter than I am, and therefore much more capable on the hills, I was very glad when they both stayed with me for the entirety of the climb. It must have been so hard for them to cope with my snail like pace but stick with it they did. The first part isn't too hard, even though I was in my lowest gear (energy conservation, remember) and then as the road turns that bend it also ramps up. At this point you've about a mile to go at gradients of 8-12%. Steepest at the top of course. Pedal, chat a little (it gets harder) and slowly, oh so slowly, we crept up the road. We approached the 12% sign which marked my stop point the last time. This time I pedalled on. And then, quite abruptly, the angle changed and we were there. Oh yes!
Even better was the short drop to the ski centre and the opportunity to get off and have some lunch. We were a little over half way at this point and the main objective for me was done. Maybe that celebration was a little premature but I was so delighted to have made it. Lunch was fun and the opportunity to grab some photos was also taken. It's always good to have some memories of the day.

Lunch - see the madness...
The Groover - it felt like the top to us
The shameless wheelsucker
With lunch polished off it was time to have some fun. For me climbing is all about the going down. This is where the extra weight comes into play. And, apparently, the nerve to point the bike downhill and not touch the brakes. The ski centre is a little below the top of the climb so we needed to ride back to it. And then, up through the gears and very, very rapidly I spun my gears out. Spin and I leave The Groover behind as we whizz down the road. I did wonder what the motorcyclists thought as we hammered past the lay-by they are parked in. It's only when we got home and uploaded the data that I saw I had covered 0.9 miles at an average of 48.6 mph reaching a maximum of 52. Now that was fun.
We still had a fair amount of cycling to do before getting home though. Back down Glenshee we passed the Spittal again before turning off towards Glen Isla a few miles down the road. This is a perfect Scottish back road. Nice climbs, nice descents and scenery to die for. It's also pretty quiet. Just delightful.
So far all the roads were known to me but after 5 miles or so we turned on to a new road. And it was here I began to suffer. I still don't know what did it. I just assume that I hadn't stuck enough calories in at some point between lunch and here. We started to climb again, and I must admit to not knowing about this climb. It's hard to pick out these little horrors when there's a monster peak right in the middle of the route. And I'd fallen into that trap. In all fairness I did realise just before the main section of climbing that I was low on energy and I had the sense to stick a gel in but it just didn't get there in time. With about 300 yards to go to the summit I called a halt. My companions did the honourable thing and also came to a halt. For my part I just stood over my bike and waited for some energy to come back. And it did, surprisingly quickly. Looking back at the data we only stopped for about 2 minutes. It still bothers me though. Setting off again, I asked the boys just to hang fire and let me see if I was actually ok. I was and we popped over the top together, albeit with them having no problem catching me up.
And then we were back into my terrain; mostly down! Again, there were stretches of great road, mostly good visibility and some fantastically quick corners. All of a sudden we were back out on bigger roads and we saw some other cyclists. We caught the two ladies up and chatted to them on the way up one of the little hills on this section of road. It was here we had a slight altercation with some pedestrians being picked up. They decided to (or just did) cross the road right in front of us. My real issue with this was their inability to think that we were coming down a steep hill and that we might be going quite fast. They wouldn't have stepped out in front of a car.
We had left the ladies behind as we rolled into Alyth, our next scheduled stop. Just a fill up at the shops this one. A chance to spend some time filling mouths, pockets and bottles. A break that gave us time to prepare for the next bit of road. The way home. The ladies passed us as we performed these actions. Being in front is temporary!

Refuelling
Readers of this blog will know that I had cycled this before, that time on my own and into the wind. I had neither of those problems on this ride. While having none of big hills we had already encountered the road does roll along which, by the time you've done over 100 miles, is a bit tiresome. Not that the other two seemed at all bothered by it. We passed some other cyclists, mostly touring guys, only to have them do the same when we stopped for a comfort break.
And then the next challenge for me. The climb out of Newtyle isn't exactly long or steep but I had bad memories of it. Of me struggling up it and wondering what I was doing. I had voiced my concerns to the others and said I would be taking it easy. Which I did, at the beginning. And then, magically, I felt great and I accelerated up the slope. Just like the bit where I didn't have any energy I don't really know what happened here either. I just felt great. I got some ribbing from the boys.
I still felt strong enough at the top to chase after the tourers. Who we eventually overtook, not long before we turned off the main road to take the back road into Birkhill. The road here is ok but there is a little climb which isn't the most pleasant. And at the top as we joined the main road again, the tourers rolled past. Much grinning by everyone ensued.
From here it's a blast downhill into Dundee and, suddenly, lots of traffic. A quick jaunt into the business park and quiet roads again before finding the cycle path beside Riverside. It was here that we had a real scare. The Groover was out in front as Spin and I took it more easily and were chatting. The Groover suddenly realised that we weren't right behind him and, turning to see where we were, he momentarily lost control. He so nearly went over the barrier and onto the road. Frighteningly quickly the situation had gone from complete control to nearly none. He did, however, control it and managed to stay on the path and upright. I don't think any of us know how.
We rolled right into Dundee and reached the Tay Bridge. Spin had crossed this hours before on his way to the start. It was time for him to leave us and make his way home. We took the lift and made our way across the very much uphill bridge. We were both feeling quite strong so we took the slightly longer way home through Newport and St Michaels where we turned back towards Tayport and Tentsmuir Forest. The idea was to take the flat roads from here through Leuchars and Guardbridge before joining our second cycle path of the day for the run to St. Andrews.
But when it came to it, neither of us fancied the cycle path (I have a strong aversion to it) and we turned up the hill to Strathkinness. I did have some ulterior motives for all the mucking about in Fife. I really wanted to turn this ride into my longest ever and I wanted to get over the 140 mile mark. A nice round number. We came into town and I was still not convinced we would get the distance. So a little loop around the bus station and main road made sure. We rolled into the car park and The Groover's car was sitting there waiting. What a day.
I'm not sure you get much better than this on a bike. Great company, great fun, challenges overcome, what's not to like? For me I had two great domestiques and they had a shameless wheelsucker. I don't think I'd have made it otherwise.

The Ride


Postscript


Spin wasn't done. He wanted his longest ride too but he also wanted 250 km even more so he rode past his home and out east before turning round when he'd done the appropriate distance. He's younger, at least that's my reason for thinking he's even madder than The Groover and me. Although it does have to be said that we did discuss extending the ride to get 150... That way lies madness I think.

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Domestique Duties

I've a couple of rides that really need to be written up, starting with this one. Given that it was a while ago, the writing may be a little more reflective than usual.

Cairn O'Mount Challenge


I have a chum, Andy, from my gym who is a fervent mountain biker despite my best efforts to bring him to the dark side of road riding. However, he got roped into this sportive by another mate of his and, as things go, he roped me in after I helped him do a little last minute training.

The Training



The Event

After the Bauchaille Mhor ride I was willing to give it a go, despite the fact that the ride would open with a few flat miles and then pitch upwards on the 2-mile, 1000 foot ascent of Cairn O'Mount. I had ridden down this during my recce of the northern part of my self imposed 200 mile challenge and remembered vividly just how steep it is. Whenever there's a hill that has me reaching for my brakes you have to know it's steep. Challenge said the website and this, along with the rest of the climbing on the not-very-flat route, would certainly count as a challenge.
I agreed to meet Andy, and his pal, at the event start. Not knowing how long it would take to get to Edzell I arrived way too early (there were about 2 cars in the car park), got changed and then hung about waiting, chatting to other entrants as they arrived and registered. The guys (Andy, his pal and then another pal of his) arrived at the appointed time and in relatively short order we were ready to go.
The organisers were letting us off in groups of 10-15, so leaving Edzell was a very different experience to my usual outings. We were strung out in a line with Andy one or two in front of me and his pal Neville a couple from the front with his mate, Dave. My instant reaction to this group riding was that it wasn't as fast as I would have liked, but not so slow I could do anything about it. And I would have felt a little rude going to the front, especially this early on. I didn't want to embarrass myself; I didn't know the riders I was with and perhaps they were just keeping their powder dry. I also noticed a distinct lack of smoothness in the pace, and a complete lack of calls or signals regarding the road surface. Not the best of introductions to larger group riding.
We arrived in Fettercairn, still as a group, with me still stuck near the back. I now suspect this strategy paid dividends for me in the next few miles. A little more than a mile from the bottom of the Cairn O'Mount (now looming very large in my head) there was a little ramp. Not ridiculously steep but a ramp nonetheless. I was somewhat astonished to see our group fragment on it. Suddenly the guy whose wheel I had been behind and I were climbing through the group. And by the time we got to the top of the ramp he had just about dropped me and I had pretty much dropped everyone else. On the understanding that Andy, me and his mates would be riding the day together, and especially as I wanted to help Andy, I didn't try to stay with this very thin, very light looking chap. I wanted to get to the bottom of the climb with reserves in place. So I sat up a little and assumed they would come back to me. It didn't work out that way, and I reached the bottom of the hill without them.
We had agreed that we would climb this big challenge of the day on our own and wait at the top, so I set off. I have never seen so many cyclists on one stretch of road. All ages, sizes and speeds. I had connected with the group that had been let off in front of us and as we started up some banter was to be had over, and through, the heavy breathing. Again, I found myself climbing through the group which for me is a very strange experience. I was in my lowest gear but my cadence was strong enough and I even had time to relax for the photographer.
If you ever have the chance to cycle up Cairn O'Mount this is how it goes. A very steep start for about a quarter of it's length. Sections here of 12-14% and it is hard work. Pretty but hard work. Then it backs off to 6-8% for about a mile. This actually feels quite pleasant but all the way up you can see the final hairpins which you can see are steep. I stayed in my lowest gear, let the cadence rise a tiny amount and concentrated on letting the heart rate drop a little. Again, I wanted some place for it to go on the final section. And that section comes along all too quickly. It starts with a subtle right hand bend onto a steeper ramp, which leads to the first left hand hairpin. This is steep! I went passed people walking their bikes up and then a couple really toiling round the corner. It does flatten off a little before the next one which isn't so bad and then you just have to get up the long left hand bend to the summit. In the last 1/2 a mile my heart rate climbed somewhat alarmingly but I held on and got it done. Phew! Climbing the hill had definitely been made easier by the other cyclists, either going past me or being past by me, because you get a little chat and a bit of encouragement. If you can, take advantage of an event like this, and it will make it seem better.
Making sure I finished the Strava segment I rode to the top of the rise, then turned and rode down to the corner where the steep stuff starts, or ends, depending on your point of view. I contemplated riding down to find Andy but decided that might be cheeky, so just waited and threw some encouragement and congratulations to those coming round the corner. Neville arrived first, then Andy and finally Dave. Andy was so chuffed to get up without stopping but needed a breather so we waited a minute or two. Neville and Dave announced that they were poor/slow at descending so would ride on and we could catch them up. We did, for about 30 seconds at the 1st feed stop. After that we didn't see them until the end.
Once Andy had his breath back we went about the fun bit of the day; the massive descent northwards from the summit. One small rise near the top saw me driving along keeping the pace high, and then more WHEE down to a more substantial and steep little ramp which stopped that bit of fun. I needed a comfort stop so took one before we continued downwards. The steepest ramp was to come and I saw 48mph on the computer, only to find Andy passing me! The one good thing about the mountain bike experience for Andy is he really doesn't mind throwing the bike downhill. And I'm just an idiot (as my pal Vic would say). Great, great fun.
Of course all good things have to come to an end and we then had a few miles of rolling terrain to negotiate before the climb up Slug Road. I really enjoyed this roll along. Some cyclists passed us, some we passed but all were friendly and we had a quite a few chats on this section. Andy and I rode a little apart here picking up conversation with those around but I always tried to make sure I wasn't riding away from him. And at the bottom of the Slug Road we were right together so I could encourage him all the way up.
It was on this section I realised how unconvinced Andy was of making it all the way round. Trying to encourage him I pointed out we had done over 22 miles so had less than 60 to go. All I got back was a "I'm not sure I can make that, Al". I'm always up for a challenge and it was here that I felt my real challenge for the day was to get him round the route. The Slug wasn't steep but went on for a while. I had a feeling the feed stop would be at the top and so it proved. And a good feed stop it was too. I didn't need much in the way of food (my pockets were full enough) but there was plenty of water which I did need so I got my bottles replenished. Just before we left a Strava mate (who I'd never met in the flesh) arrived, and went, "Al?". I replied in the affirmative and so it was we met Fede, who had taken the train to Montrose and then ridden to the start. He overtook us later and went on to finish in a very competitive time. All before he cycled back to the train station! Now there is crazy.
The next section of the ride is a little hazy now, but I remember it rolling up and down a fair bit. Amusement at Andy being in entirely the wrong gear as we turned out from a downhill junction onto a steep road. The groans and expletives were fantastic. Annoyance at myself for trying to blast up an incline when I should have known better (preserving energy is what these days are about - not killing yourself and your buddy). The gravel section where the road surface was being "improved". The really wide tractor requiring us to pull in to a passing place. Steep little ramps, nice descents and one tricky descent. Riding for a little while with a genuine audax'er. Not fast, but he did look like he could ride all day and all night if necessary. And he was giving us a good 10 to 15 years as well. More respect. The run into Inverbervie (great), and the pull out (painful). Andy on my tail, being stubborn and getting it done.
We arrived at the second feed stop. A parking place beside the sea. Lovely. And, once again, plenty of food and water. The rolls were going down a storm with other riders but I treated myself to a banana. Then the oddest meeting of the day. A rider rolled in and I recognised the bike! Another Strava pal, Nico, doing much the same for some of his pals as I was doing for mine. A quick hello and then we made space by getting back on the road.
The only issue with this sportive is the placement of this feed stop. Leaving it you still have 30 miles to go. And they aren't exactly easy miles. I could do with this stop being about 5 miles further on. It would make the middle section of the ride the longest but that's ok. As it was the next 5 miles or so were tough, a small downhill before an seemingly unremitting 4.5 miles uphill. Never very steep but by now Andy was beginning to suffer. And, if I am honest, so was I. Not so much with the riding (although I've had fresher legs) but with the constant checking to make sure I didn't lose my leader. I was trying very hard to be the faithful domestique. It was a sign of Andy's great determination that he didn't throw in the towel. One incident that sticks in my mind was about 3/4 of the way up this long drag, the incline very briefly nudged up as we went round a bend then took a left at a crossroads. I was nattering away to Andy and all of a sudden he just wasn't there. The small change had just put too much hurt into him. I rode slowly, let him catch up, then we rode on. Of course when we got to the next downhill section he was well away from me. Damn he was quick. I didn't really have the energy to chase him down. So I just waited for the inevitable pull of gravity on the next uphill section to slow him down. And it did.
We were getting closer now; I knew it. I'm not sure Andy did; he was just keeping those pedals turning over. Time for a bit of encouragement.
"Andy, apart from finishing did you have a target for today?".
"No, finishing was it. Well, maybe.... Six hours would have been nice".
"What, six hours riding or six hours all told?"
"I suppose, six hours riding". Something told me he meant 6 hours all told.
A quick glance at my computer told me that six hours riding was easily achievable unless neither of us bonked or had a mechanical. Six hours all in also looked just about possible.
"Six hours riding, no trouble", I said, "just keep going like we have been and we will be fine".
Of course, I'm thinking, can we make it six all in. About then Nico and his pals flew past us. No shame in that, he's built like a racing snake and rides in groups a lot. So it was just me and Andy against the clock. We made it to the next landmark. We crossed under the A90 and were on the road to Edzell, about 4 miles away straight down this road. Except the route didn't go down this road. It took a savage left turn and I knew that we were heading for a big challenge, just under a mile at an average of 8%. I was certain it was going to hurt.
We needed to get there first of course. Keeping well hydrated was taking its toll now and I needed a comfort break. A chance to get comfortable, to get some food and fluid in as well as out. And I was thinking that Andy needed a little minute of two off the bike too. This was now his longest ride by quite some distance. We had about 10 miles to go. A couple of guys we'd seen a few times went past us here and we exchanged some banter. Sadly we didn't catch them up.
To get to the climb was a bit of climb itself and I found out how tired I was when I nearly dropped the bike in some gravel. That woke me up sharpish. And then we were there. "Granny gear", I said in my best trainer voice. I don't think I needed to tell him. It was steep. I rode beside Andy, chatting, trying to chat, breathing hard with my own effort. Eventually I found him slipping away from me and, to my shame, I was too tired to fight it. We had a third of the climb to go. I rode on up. There was a small crowd at the top; walkers I presume, there is a small car park at the summit. They gave me some encouragement. I like to think I looked cool, but know I didn't. I rode slowly over the top and then into a really technical descent. It was scary even for me. I knew we would come to a junction and decided to wait for my man there. I knew he will cope with this part. And so he did, arriving just behind me with a grin. "Last big climb,that, Andy".
I was right and wrong. It was the last big climb but the run into Edzell was somewhat lumpy. I was feeling strong again which lead to some big ring work on the small inclines and a lot of self encouragement (i.e. shouting). I kept true though, slowing down for the leader. Then I looked at the computer. The problem is, I like my numbers. And I like, as a minimum, a 15mph riding average. And we had been keeping to it but those last wee lumps had put paid to that and I was sitting at about 14.8 with about 2 miles to go. Knowing that they were mostly downhill I asked Andy if he would mind us putting the hammer down. He agreed, I said "just keep close to my wheel" and accelerated.
I have to hand it to the man. He worked really hard to stay there and the elastic was just about to snap when we had to slow a little for some people crossing the road. Annoyed at this I was about to go again when I realised this wasn't fair and I slowed down again. We turned the corner to find the 30 mile an hour limit sign and Edzell. We had done it. Andy had done it. We rode down the road together toward the finish and I proffered my hand. The smile on his face will live me for a long, long time. The last rites, a turn on to the start/finish path with the electronic timing array. Unclip, stop, get off and revel in it. 82 miles, Cairn O' Mount from the south and one hell of a ride from Andy.

The Ride




Postscript

We got our bikes on our respective cars and went to the tent to get our certificates and our official time. I thought we might have made it but Andy's time came out at 6 hours and 44 seconds. I was one second quicker (rightly so in my opinion...) but gutted. I did however make my 15mph average riding speed. Too long at the various comfort stops, too long at the feed stops, too slow on the road? I don't know but it gives us a target for next year. When we will be older but fitter. Hopefully leaner, too.
The reason I didn't know came back to me later. In our excitement at leaving I only started the computer a little down the road. About 1/2 a mile down the road and that meant just enough time for us to be over instead of under the 6 hours.
We met up with Neville and Dave at the finish. They'd had a good run, well under 6 hours. That left a bitter taste in my mouth though. Would they have left Andy on his own, could they have helped us to a better time? Again I don't have the answers to that other than I think 4 could have done better than 2 and I definitely waited on the top of Cairn O'Mount for all of them. Maybe next year we will put together a different team and I can pick some domestiques for us (Vic, are you up for it?).
Regardless, I (hopefully, we) will be back!

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Bigger and faster rides

My last post talked about the first century of the year. Since then I've added to the year's mileage with some other long rides and a few shorter ones. A couple of the longer rides were done in the company of stronger riders which has shown me that I'm a little slower than would like. Something to work on next winter but for now I will just have to accept my limitations.

A wee adventure


Having sorted my mechanical issues out I decided I wanted to see some new roads. I had arranged for some company on this ride but they decided the forecast was better the day before and so I ended up going going out one my own. Considering the forecast I also decided to reduce the route a little. I headed out to Dundee and then on to the climb at Abernyte.  Given my trepidation about this road it went easily enough. I suspect the easterly breeze helped somewhat.
Underneath the impressive hill of Dunsinane I had a problem when my rear mudguard decided to give up the ghost. I managed to repair the split with generous amounts of duct tape. I ride with a god roll of it around my pump. For once I was very pleased to do so. After that the roads were great al the way down towards Perth which I reached via the Stormontfield road which I had only ever ridden on the way out of Perth. It provided a lovely roll into the town.
Just outside Perth I suffered some weather in the guise of a strong hail storm. This was a hint of what was to come. I left the town behind me and started to turn for home. I needed to get back to Fife and decided to look at a little loop near Rhynd that would take me away from the main road. On a nice day this road would be great. However the weather was deteriorating and I was greeted by heavy rain on the road into Fife from Bridge of Earn. And from there, although it stopped raining, I was going to be riding into the wind all the way home.
The cafe at the garage in Newburgh provided a welcome cup of coffee and a tray bake. Lovely. Then it was back on the bike for the push for home. I was delighted to get there. Not a day you would pick to ride on, but one I was delighted to have been riding on.



Weaknesses exposed


I arranged to ride with a couple of Strava acquaintances, Tom and Mike. And I picked the route. I had asked for a nice social ride but it was soon apparent to me that their idea of social and mine were very different. Tom was on a bit of a tight schedule and he set the early pace. With Mike's very welcome help I just about managed to stay with them until we got to Dunning. Here was the challenge of the day in the form of the ride up Dunning Glen.
The boys left me for dead and head off up the hill. I set my bike into the easiest gear and headed upwards. The gradient on this climb changes quite a lot but it was ok. Nowhere really steep but near the end there is a steeper section. The clouds were now dropping some rain on me and at the top I headed passed the boys sheltering under some trees. I assumed they would pop onto their bikes and head after me but when they didn't arrive on my wheel I turned around and rode back to find them coming my way. Then we had a fantastic descent. Time for me to show my only skill - dropping like a stone. Too quickly it was over but we all got down safely.
We then had some flatter roads and some navigation errors before rolling into the services outside Kinross. Tom went in to get water while Mike and I waited with the bikes.
Onward onto Milnathort where Mike decided we should go via the steeper hill to Glenfarg. I wished he hadn't.  I was beginning to suffer under the relentless pace these guys can ride at. For the next few miles I felt they were riding a couple of miles and then having to stop to wait for me. It wasn't great for my self esteem. Around Strathmiglo I made the first suggestion that they should ride on. Eventually, after some more stop start riding for them, I persuaded them to just let me ride at my own pace.
Now looking at 14 miles on my own I was much happier. I could just settle in and suit myself. The occasional wet patch and sight of their tyre tracks allowed me to feel I was still riding with them which was some help. Riding into Peat Inn I saw Tom about ready to drive off as he had left his car there. That was another boost before I rode for home.
I realised at this point that I could still make my 15 mph riding goal, if I could just ride the last 6 miles fast enough. So, with just enough in the tank, I went for it. Passing a rider on the main road into St Andrews I was almost there. As I came into town I realised he'd hung onto my wheel. And at my stop point he came up my left hand side and said "thanks for the lift". 
A tough, tough day for me this one. But interesting to see where I sit in terms of fitness and riding.

More time at the back


Another opportunity to ride with Strava mates ended up with me going out with Will and Mika.  Again the pace was high leaving St Andrews and I knew I was going to toil with these boys. All the way to Collesie I struggled to keep up but the Mika needed to head for home, leaving Will and me to ride on.
This was better with Will riding more at my pace than his but he managed to drop me coming out of Newburgh without noticing. I worked really hard on the road to Abernethy and eventually caught him up, but not without his help.
After Abernethy the day's main challenge was reached. A climb up Abernethy Glen which I had only ever ridden down beckoned. Will stopped at the bottom for something to eat and I rode on. I got about halfway up before I was overtaken by Will. He was sitting down at the top when I got there looking very relaxed. I got to lead down the descent as he claims to be a bit nervous with on downhill sections.
We got together at the bottom and rode on to Falkland with Will doing most of the work. I was just trying to keep up. A quick chat and a decision to stop for coffee was made. However, turning into the main square, Will sorted an old fashioned ice cream seller, complete with bicycle. So we stopped for a one instead. A seat in the sunshine gave us a break while we munched away. Lovely.
Of course I needed to keep this down as we climbed up the steep Cadgers Brae and then Porter's Brae before heading for home along the Cults ridge. The sunshine was great as we headed along to Ceres and then up to Peat Inn. Heading back to St Andrews from there gave me the opportunity to go for a downhill blast near Denhead.  Will followed at a "respectful" distance. We rode into St Andrews and completed a lovely afternoon's ride.
It was still another lesson in how far I need to improve as a cyclist. 

Buachaille Sportive


After having having my cycling deficiencies exposed the next big ride was the Buachaille Sportive which I did last year. This time, though, I was going to attempt the the longer version at 105 miles. For some reason The Stoker decided to come with me which entailed them getting up at the ungodly hour of 4 a.m. in order to drive to Glencoe. 
After changing and registering I started my ride from the ski centre. After being held up by an inconsiderately driven camper van, and overtaken by another cyclist while waiting in a passing place, I spent the next 10 miles chasing down the overtaking cyclist. My descending skills paid off and I caught them just before the turning onto the road taking us to Kinlochleven.  On this section I was passed by Harvey who I had been chatting to at the start. He looked like it was really easy as we headed up a little hill. I caught up the a pair of cyclist not long after and one of them over took me as we came through Kinlochleven.
On the next section of road I caught him up and we rode together for the next wee while, mostly with him behind me, having a chat about all sorts of things. A little bit before the next excursion for the longer route I realised Andy was no longer with me and, although I slowed down a little, he didn't catch me up until the feed station.
Here I realised that my speed was really high. 52 miles in 2 hours and 50 minutes. Some of that was down to the initial descent but the rest was down to riding with someone else and essentially being pushed along.
We left the feed station together but he disappeared from my wheel not long after. He had said that he wouldn't try to keep up if he didn't feel he could so I rode on. For the next 25 miles or so I saw no other cyclists and I struggled in this section. Just before Loch Awe I had started singing to keep my spirits up. Coming to a stop at some traffic lights I let out a big sigh and a "phew" only to get a huge surprise when I heard "Just what I was thinking" from behind me. Two other participants had just caught me up. I hope they didn't suffer the singing.
They left me behind almost immediately the lights went green and I rode to the next feed stop on my own. I had an uncomfortable couple of minutes when the feed stop wasn't where I thought it would be but I was happy to see it just up the road. I spent a longer time here than was strictly necessary but I felt it might be prudent. My earlier companion came in and left while I was still sorting myself out.
After leaving the feed stop I rode up Glen Orchy, starting behind a pair of neatly turned out riders. I overtook them later on and rode out onto the A82.  I could see Andy quite a bit ahead of me but I reeled him in slowly but surely and came up behind him about two thirds of the way up the first climb up from Loch Tulla.  I passed a number of riders here putting paid to my claim to be the slowest rider out there.
I took it easy down to the entrance to the ski centre and my patience paid off as I overtook a number of riders who overtook me at the bottom. Slow and steady won the race up the steep and ever changing gradients of the last half mile! At 6 hours and 40 minutes, including stops, for the full distance blew my best guess for my time out of the water. I can only suppose that riding with those quicker boys had put extra speed in my legs. Fantastic!

A long way for lunch


A week later the bike was loaded up with the big saddle bag and I was prepared for any kind of weather. This time I was out on my own again, riding to Dunblane for lunch with my best man. Being me, though, I wasn't going the direct way and so I headed out over the climb at Abernyte again. Just before this I had ridden to and passed another cyclist who couldn't believe I was going to Dunblane and back.
The ride to Luncarty was pleasant but there was a niggling NW breeze keeping my speed down and the effort up. Riding across to Methven and Muthill kept to the back roads and was harder than expected but I got there nonetheless. 
Here, after 70 miles, was a big hill. Long and initially steep the first part of this road was tough. Then a descent with a really nasty bend, where I nearly lost it, before another climb which just went on and on.
The drop into Braco and the road out were fine until on the back road to Dunblane I managed to mangle my front derailleur.  I managed a roadside bodge and rolled down the hill to Dunblane and lunch.
After an excellent lunch and a quick borrow of a spanner and a pair of pliers to fix (for a while anyway) the derailleur, it was time to be off for the more direct route home. On the climb back back up to Braco it became apparent that the wind had shifted round a little to the north east over lunch. And that meant that I would be riding back home into the wind. So 139 miles against a breeze. Lovely.
The weather forecast had also been a little pessimistic and the showers hadn't occurred.  Leaving me wearing the wrong clothes and lugging some kit I didn't need (like a front light) with me.
The ride to Auchterarder was lovely. On a nice day with a breeze behind it would be fantastic with the views to the Ochils and further on to the Tay valley.  But today was a little tired already and not really ready for the drag home. Out of Auchterarder and down the road to Dunning where I was glad to see that the shop was still open. I popped in for more water and also picked up some or age to dilute in the bottle. With two full bottles I would be good for the last 30-odd miles home.
I rode all right to Abernethy but after that I started to drag and I needed to stop just short of the climb before Cupar. At this point the wind had almost won and I wasn't happy. A short break, a slice of Nutella pizza, a gel and some liquid and I was ready to finish it off. I rode home solidly but not fast; I just got it done. And I rolled in about 12 hours after I'd left. A successful ride.
Looking back I'm not going to say it was easy, it wasn't.  There were times I wondered what I was doing and times I wondered about my sanity. Having said that I'm very proud that I did it and I would do it again. What I would like to do is ride it with some other people. Company is what I missed on this jaunt. There's no doubt they could help during the bad patches, and I could do the same for them. Maybe that's the way to go for these longer rides.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Hangers and other things

I've been waiting to blog for a while; employing the old maxim that if you don't have anything to say don't say anything! January and February didn't see much activity on the road but I did manage to get some early year training done in the gym. Much to the relief of my strength and conditioning guru who always wants more weights work. But like most cyclists I tend to think riding on the road is the only thing that counts. We did manage a couple of trips out on the tandem; including one on the 2nd of January. An impressive start but one that hasn't been followed up much so far.

March, however, has been a very diferent ketle of fish. The weather has improved slightly meaning that I've been able to get out more. Not only that but I've managed to get my first century for the year done. Much earlier this year than last when I only got one done. The ride itself was relatively straight forward with an ascent of the Lomond Hills road chucked in for good measure. I'd not been up that road since 2012 so I was apprehensive about it but, despite being in my granny gear a little earlier than I would have liked, I made it over without much fuss; an early success for the year.

The rest of the ride was completed easily enough although I do have to admit to feeling a bit sick on the way up to Hazelton Walls, about 75 miles in. And the hill up to Logie was tough but the legs kept the pedals turning over.



Two days later I was out again, this time meeting up with the afore mentioned S&C guru for some companionable riding. It didn't last long but not because we fell out. It was my bike that gave up the ghost. Changing gear near Bow of Fife my rear derailleur exploded into 3 bits.

It's not supposed to look like this.
Luckily The Stoker was at home and I was able to call for an emergency pick up. On further inspection the derailleur hanger was bent and also needed replacing. Thankfully I had a spare.



Once the work was done I went out again to test the new kit out. And very good it felt too. The wind made the riding hard but the bike felt great. On my return home I propped the bike up near the garage while I went to open the door. Sadly the wind then blew the bike over causing a scratch on the new derailleur. Annoying, but nothing I thought much about. After all, it wasn't the first time the bike had toppled over on the drive.



The next day dawned brightly and, although it was windy again, I decided it would be nice to get out. All was good, even with the early miles being slightly uphill and in to wind. It was only when I got to the Thai Teak climb that I found all was decidedly not well. Going into the granny gear for the first time I heard a clinking sound from the rear. Looking down I saw that I was already in the granny gear, although the lever thought there should be one more gear. And this meant that the attempt to change down was putting the derailleur cage into contact with the spokes. Never a good idea. I completed the climb and took a look.

The reason for the contact was that the new hanger was bent. It must have been damaged when the bike went over the day before. I adjusted the lower limit screw so it couldn't go into the wheel and decided I could ride on to Cupar before heading home. I was still cutting my planned route almost in half but I didn't want to take too many chances with a bike which wasn't quite behaving itself.


Lovely view. You can't see the wind!




Getting home I put the bike in the stand and checked it out. The new hanger is more bent than the old one. I'm glad a replacement is on its way. Will it arrive in time for my next planned long ride, later this week. I hope so. The moral of the story is even if the bike only takes a little knock, check it out.

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Plans for 2014

In terms of cycling goals 2013 was a year of disappointments. In June I didn't manage to ride my 200 mile route and then at the end of the year the weather conspired against me in a push for 4000 miles for the year. So some of this year's targets aren't too hard to guess.
But I do have a couple of others so here, in order of importance, they are:
  • 200 mile day - hopefully over the route set last year,
  • Weekend trip on the tandem to Edinburgh, or similar (e.g. Pitlochry),
  • 4000 road miles on the bikes (single and tandem). This does not include my little commutes,
  • Taking part in a beginner's duathlon; that's right, I'm going to try running!
On the way I intend to ride the No Fuss sportive in Glencoe again and some some longer routes in general. Looking back on last year's attempt I think the failure might have been in part to not quite getting enough long days in. 
My duathlon desire is the slightly way out one requiring a change of activity.  In the first 1/2 of the year I'll try a little running to put my toe in the water so to speak, but I'm not intending anything too strenuous. But you might see a little bit about running here too.
In the meantime I've been getting out on the road when I can; here's the the latest.

It was a pleasant ride until the rain started in anger, about 15 miles from home. Then it became unpleasant. I deliberately picked a route with quite a few of the local hills in it, to see how my fitness was. And despite having to use the granny gear on more slopes than I would have liked I didn't feel out of control anywhere and that was fine as the first test of the year.
Since this ride I've been in consultation with my trainer and we have some plans for some gym work to improve my threshold ability. Hopefully this will improve my climbing and general speed. More on this in another post, I think.