Christ On A Bike

No, it's just me.

But it was surprisingly cold this morning. Yes, it's been getting colder over the last few weeks, but today was very brisk indeed. I felt a little under-dressed in shorts and fingerless gloves (and a top, before you ask...). I've been wearing a jacket in the morning for the last little while (all the better to pop my radio in the pocket of) but because I leave work at around 4pm I'm still in the daylight and it's been fairly warm too.

Today was a different story. The morning was decidedly chilly, so much so that my hands and feet hadn't warmed up by the time I got to the bike shed, and this afternoon was still pretty nippy.

Unfortunately, this means that the full finger gloves come out, I start wearing 3/4s and I get the Buff ready in the wings. Maybe I need some woolly socks as well.

Yes! A mountain bike route!

First time out on the not-road today. I can't remember when the last time was, probably Grizedale over a month ago. We met up with M&L who were up on holiday after their wedding and subsequent African honeymoon. It's always good to go for a ride with M as I tend to have to work a bit harder than usual on the ups which is handy.

Anyway as we had time constraints (fairly new baby, toddler who likes to nap at prescribed times), we did this route which I was at first a little dubious about, mainly because it seems a bit short. However it's a nice little run that took us an hour and a half from the carpark and back.

It's never a good idea to be in too high a gear up a steep switchback-y road at the start of the ride but that's what I did. Couldn't change down as I was at least turning the cranks so I carried on as I watched and felt my kneecaps pop off into the undergrowth at the side of the road.

It levelled out and became a lot more rocky and trail-like as I hacked up a lung, just in time for the descent down into somewhere near Loughrigg tarn. I quite enjoy rambler-slalom but kept it to a minimum this time for the sake of rambler-MTBer relations.

The route then took us back round Loughrigg tarn, up and through some woodlands then back down to Rydal caves (or Loughrigg quarry) which is pretty impressive for a couple of big scars scrapped out of the ground. I cleaned a nice little technical climb as well - I've still got it...

After that it's back down a cinder path and onto the road back to the carpark. I managed to remember to turn my Sports Tracker thing on my phone at this point which looked like this:

Just rewards included: cumberland sausage pie, a large americano, 2 scoops of icecream in a waffle cone (shared with P) and a browse in Biketreks.

Nice

I Never Did Have That Rant

I meant to mention the whole drafting etiquette thing but again, it seems to have slipped my mind.

Firstly, I have never been a roadie and probably never will be. I find riding on the road mind-alteringly tedious unless I'm in traffic and having to think a bit. This means that I haven't ridden in bunches (apart from that one time with the gingham dress, but that's another story...) and I'm not terribly familiar with riding people's wheels and what-have-you.

BUT...

I do know that it's rather rude to pull in behind someone at the lights or wherever and draft them without making the offer of sharing the work. To me it's analogous to hitching your car to the car in front without asking, or jumping on someone's back for an uninvited piggyback. It's just not on. I don't mind being in front and doing the work as long as the person behind does their share, or at least has a chat but I can't abide the sneak who slips in trying to go unnoticed and doesn't have the manners to even start a conversation. This also might stem from the fact that I find it very hard to sit on someone's wheel without at least trying to blast past them quite early on...

My favourite way to deal with these people is to sloooooow dooowwwwwn until they get impatient. Or brake suddenly (which can be a bit hazardous to one's own health). Or, if I'm feeling particularly strong, to stamp on the gas and drop them, but that tends to only work on slight gradients or steep hills due to the frantic leg-spinning that I start doing about about 33kph.

There you have it: just another cross I have to bear. :-)

Well, This Is Novel

I'm breaking my email posting cherry this morning, so I'm rather excited by this new use of technology. However, as I try to look for a cloud to every silver lining I find that due to my poor selection of mobile provider I'm unable to post unless tethered to a computer, should the need/ urge ever arise. It's not necessarily a problem at the moment but I anticipate a keen desire to post from the top of a mountain (or more likely some grotty motorway services) at some point in the future.

I have now fallen so far behind my proposed target that unless I do 1.5 rides per day until the end of the year I haven't a chance of hitting 300 rides. Maybe 200 is more realistic now... Maybe not. I'll see where I get to on the 31st December.

This morning's ride was a 5k shocker: driving wind and rain knocked my average speed back from the 30kph mark down to a pathetic 22kph. I'm used to getting a soaking now, and I'm resigned to the stark reality of them becoming more frequent as "summer" (I have to do that, it's Britain) turns to autumn turns to winter. My waterproof kit is very good now though, so it's not too terrible, although I've yet to find a fabric that can cope with my seemingly unnatural sweatiness when exercising. Still, it's fun to keep searching.

And another thing! I'm going to have to take the plunge in the next few months and get myself some sort of on-bike luggage. Regular commuting is no real friend of the rucksack, regardless of how "supercool" or "aeroflex-y" the back system is. I need to find a good sized rack or saddlebag and a small handlebar bag that will be able carry my clothes, lunch, acoutrements (keys, wallet, mp3 player) etc. Well, it's another little project I guess...

New Route

9.6km
3.5kg (for now - 2.1kg when the Jeep goes)

Who Are You Again?

Ah yes, I remember now...

I've been terribly busy slack in the past couple of months, which is no sort of excuse really now is it?

A quick recap:

• I now have a new commuting bike. It's a Trek 1st District with a spangly (but actually slightly matt) belt driven single gear. The belt means that there's no sticky oil to get all over the place (trouser legs, dining room carpet, the boy's hands) and that there's also zero maintenance. It's fit and forget for a couple of years for the belt til it needs to be replaced, and that's a pretty easy job. Other than that it's a bit more suited to commuting than the Giant was in that it's more suited to mudguards and has less spine-compressing tyres on it. So far it's sweet and I'm not finding the lack of gears to be much of an issue. I do run out of gears on the flat, and it's more effort uphill but the compromise is worth it and I don't really notice it at all.
• Dr G, the Dutchman and I rode over Garburn pass a few weeks ago when Dutch came up for a visit from Wales. It was a lovely sunny day and the route took us up round the top of Windermere with great views over the lake, stretching up to the Kirkstone pass. This was followed by a drop down into Kentmere with the final leg going along the reverse of the start of the route we did earlier in the year. The reverse route is much better.
• We have a new addition to the family, with the missus giving birth to a beautiful baby girl earlier in June. My riding has been curtailed but I don't mind :-) And I've been on paternity leave with slightly altered priorities.
• I shall have a rant about people drafting me on the way to and from work tomorrow...

There Is A Song...

...by the band Presidents Of The USA that is rather apt for this particular objective.

POTUSA