Saturday Epic

Saturday so the fruition of a ride I have been wanting to complete for some time. My sister lives in Keswick in the Lakes and I have been looking at making the ride from home in Burnley up to Keswick for ages.


We had planned a visit and as the forecast was looking good I decided late on Friday that it was too good an opportunity to miss and announced I was riding up (this was after several glasses of red!).


There is something about getting your kit ready the night before, all laid out with various combinations just in case the weather wasn't as predicted, almost like you have started already.


5.30am saw me do the cyclist's shuffle from the bedroom down for breakfast hoping that I managed this without waking the entire house.


I love this time, fantastic light of early morning, the peace that engulfs the house, the smell of fresh coffee and eating breakfast with the anticipation of the day ahead.


6.33 with the skill of an SAS solider I leave the house and head off on empty roads - sheer bliss as the cold helps just to sharpen your mind.


My route was through Burnley, Nelson, onto Gisburn, Settle with the first planned stop at the butty van at Kirby Lonsdale - a famous meeting point for bikers.


The early morning miles with little or no traffic went by without a hitch. The only drag was the Settle bypass as it seemed to go on forever and the wind had appeared in my face and with no one to share the load it felt a little soulless. Mind over matter and I told myself I wasn't far from a brew and cake stop! It worked a treat and I dropped onto the bottom of my bars and kept the cadence high. Even better I was ahead of my schedule having planned to be here by 9.30 I pulled up at 9.10!
The next stage was up to the M6 junction with the aim of heading off the main road to Windamere A590 and using the back lanes instead. However I missed the turn so headed along the A590 just in time to catch the early traffic heading for the southern lakes. Those coach drivers really like to see how close they can get!!!
Revenge was sweet as a mile before entering Windamere the traffic was grinding along bumper to bumper, to all who made room for me to pass safely I thank you to the lady who first tried to push me out into oncoming traffic then run me off the road I hope you were filled with joy.
A quickish stop to refill my water bottles just out of Windamere and I was back traffic hopping all the way to Ambleside.
Once out of Ambleside the traffic vanished and I had the road pretty much to myself which was fantastic as the weather was warm and the scenery is stunning. Out of Grassmere and I faced the long steady climb over to Thirlemere with the promise of eating my mars bar at the top my legs kept spinning along.
My aim had been to keep a steady pace for the entire ride with a focus on keeping my cadence high rather than trying to blast the route and go for a quick time. That was the theory at least, but just before the climb out of Grassmere a spotted a sign for Keswick 16 miles and a quick time check showed it to be just leaving 11.30. My aim was then to be at my sisters for 12.30.
A fantastic decent into Thirlemere was followed by keeping low on the bars and winding the tempo up in an attempt to meet my deadline. The last couple of short climbs just before Keswick felt like mountains to my legs and slowed me far more than I would have hoped.
12.35 I arrived at my sister's hotel to be greeted with a cup of tea and croissant and my 8 year old on his bike asking if we could go a ride!!!
85.4 miles completed in 6 hrs including stops - maybe not an epic but certainly a good day in the saddle.

Secret Trap of Cycling

After reading Molly Cameron's blog where he contemplates the secret trap of cycling I began to wonder if this trap had been sprung on myself?
Thanks to crossjunkie I am the proud owner of an Uncle John cx bike purchased with the intent on doing the odd commute into the office and the weekend ride to help keep the waistline in some form of check. I was easily steered to the advantages of a cx bike having raced mtb's the appeal of a bike I could get muddy instantly hit home (or maybe crossjunkie has mystical powers to convert people to cx!!).The trap was baited!
My firm intent of getting back in the saddle was just to enjoy it and get my fitness back, any events entered were purely aimed at goals to help motivate me out of the chair and onto the saddle. Soul cycling just doing it for the shear pleasure, no pressure, no racing, no worries!!
So has the trap been sprung? As I write this there is that rewarding ache in my legs after last night doing 30 minutes on the rivet in order to ramp up my fitness levels for the first race of the season, my diet has shifted towards high protein, low fat medium carbs and Sunday morning when most were still in bed I was out in the rain seeking hills to climb and riding to the beat of my heart rate monitor!
Has the trap been sprung? Maybe not fully but I have the feeling that it is about to snare another victim.

widdop

It hadn't gone well - the last time we ventured into the Great Outdoors together. Jill, a long time work colleague, one-time line-manager, and now lycra friend, had gone fell running with me for the first time. Her desire to branch out from running road marathons tied in with my need to run and recce the Whernside leg of the 3 Peaks Cyclocross.

We had run the classic loop from from Ribblehead, up to Winterscales and along to Bruntscar and then up the stepped Southern profile of Whernside. We paused to admire the view North into the Dales before a circumspect descent down to Blea Moor with me trying to memorise the rough patches and obvious hazards, ready for a bike re-run on Peaks day.

It was one of those imponderables - no rhyme or reason, no in depth post analysis necessary as to what had gone wrong. Jill simply stumbled on a protruding rock, lost her balance and pitched forward onto her front, sprawling down the track. Unfortunately a waiting small boulder took out all her front teeth and a few others for good measure. It still gives me collywobbles thinking about it now - heaven knows how she still remembers it.........

An eternity later, after an excrutiatingly long walk back down the Blea Moor track, we were back at the car and facing an hour or so to Airedale A and E. The bleeding had eased, but the large wadge of tissue she had shoved into and around her mouth was staying put - until medical help was accessed. It was a seemingly long, conversation free and stressful trip.

It was some time, and several thousand pounds worth of implants, before things were finally fixed and we were allowed by our respective partners to go out together, albeit with mutterings of comprehensive insurance cover. Previous to this little escapade, we had gone out, me on bike and Jill on foot, only for me to arrive home with a broken helmet and badly bruised shoulder.

Anyway, a good while and one baby (Jill's, not mine) later, we risked it enough to venture out together, 2 proto 'Belgians' off into the wilds of Widdop, East Lancs. Sunday morning was wet, claggy and windy - autumnal even. The rain had washed grit and organic matter off the hills and over the road, making traction questionable in places. The moors were not at their best either, but hinted at their promise in between breaks in the cloud. Jill's new to cycling (fell running has taken a back seat since those dental misadventures) and new to the Belgians concept, but took in style, everything the bad roads, steep climbs and suspect weather had to give. It was a typical Flandrian day in East Lancs in fact. Here's to many more rides like that.................

Time to throw in the towel - or not!

Yesterday dawned bright and sunny and after a starting the day with a coffee, easy cycle into work and joining British Cycling my enthusiasm for getting some miles in was high to say the least.
(If you haven't joined British Cycling why not do so as a HCtB club member? Bronze membership is free if you are a new member joining through a team - if you do this online the club is found currently on page 42 in the club section. It's a no brainer!)
So like a naughty school boy I bunked off early and headed out for what I hoped to be a good couple of hours in the saddle.
After 30 mins of riding I was heading off the main roads to the narrow lanes at the foot of Pendle Hill, turning off the main road and heading to Wiswell I came across another cyclist on what appeared to be a shopping bike. As I turned into the lane and drop through the gears to tackle the climb I noticed the guy had followed and was now sitting just off my back wheel. Now came the dilemma? do I get out of the saddle aka Armstrong or just increase the tempo to drop him?
I decided to just carry on as if he wasn't there, however, now he was sat right on my wheel, luckily the road forked and he headed off the other way - my pride dented, I was feeling good and the pedals were turning nicely so how was this guy staying on my wheel on a shopping bike?
A couple of miles up the road and from my left the guy reappears!! to make matters worse he must be well into his 70's!!! He drops in on my wheel again but after about 10 meters pulls up along side and without a nod or hello passes me. The shame! I contemplate slinging my bike into the field and taking up bowls! Even worse I am wearing my GB team issue top (cheers Alan).
Just as I am considering hanging myself with my chain I notice the large battery pack and motor on his bike as he coasts (uphill) into the distance. With a huge sigh of relief (well I didn't have a chain splitter so the logistics of hanging myself with the chain would not have been easy) I carried on my way with a smile on my face.
In the end 1 hr 50 mins of classic Lancastrian hills to quote Lou Reed "just a perfect day"

tantalisingly close

Tantalisingly close are we - to paraphrase Yoda.