Chasing wheels

I couldn't let myself reach Christmas without getting out into the Surrey Hills for the Sunday club ride so, on Christmas Eve, I dragged myself out of bed and down to Hampton Court Bridge to take a measure of my winter fitness with a bunch of the regulars. There's no need to guess how well it went...

My head was a little foggy from too little sleep but otherwise I didn't feel at all bad as I cruised down through the outskirts of Richmond and the centre of Kingston. I'd put on my trusty Ron Hill Bikesters against the cold and four layers (LS baselayer, Rapha jersey, LS winter jersey, gilet) on the top as well as knee warmers and overshoes and had plenty of food and water with me, knowing full well how much I suffer in winter with energy levels.

Surprise of the day was picking up Graeme on our way out through Esher, who had decided to bring his mountain bike along for something a little different. He was still quicker than almost all of us, much to our collective chagrin.

First stop of the day was for me getting a puncture just down the road from the Hautboy pub. When I checked the tube, on getting home, it turned out I'd managed to get two punctures in the one incident, possibly from rolling on the flat tyre. I've also got a nasty gouge from a flint which may warrant a replacement tyre.

Toby and I discussed who is going to bag which frame from Cyclefit's sale as I fixed the puncture. I think I may well grab the silver and black non-sloping Merckx, if it is still there and fits me. My plan is to build it up with a set of SRAM Rival, a reasonable spec of finishing kit and the Mavic Kysrium Equipe wheels I bought in the summer. And then to take it to the Tour Of Flanders sportif. After all, it would be fitting to ride a Belgian bike in the biggest event in the Belgian calendar.

I was feeling confident that I wouldn't struggle too much up the hills. Unfortunately I'd forgotten I've put on five kilos since the summer and promptly dropped off the back up Whitedown Vale before putting the weight to good use on the descent. I struggled a lot less on the bit out of the quaint village with a duckpond, the name of which I can never remember (it might be Shere) and stayed with it, just about.

Then I started to get a bit confused on our route round Leith Hill (not the tough side but still awkward) and fell behind. Further ignominy was to follow up Ranmoor Hill where I managed to fall over at slow speed. One of those ones where you lose concentration and drift with the camber until you are in the leaves and run-off. In dry weather I would have just given it a bit of power and got back onto the dcent surface but, with the wet leaf mulch, doing so just resulted in the back wheel sliding out and me toppling, like a falling tree, into the middle of the road.

At this point I really did think about packing it in but managed to struggle on to the top and then down to Box Hill. Going up seemed to take forever and my speedo check told me I was going considerably slower than usual. Luckily I made it as far as coffee and cake before I caved in.

Starting from cold after a cafe stop is always difficult, more so when it is cold and you are tired and sweaty. The run back was just a slog for me that passed in a blur of pain and gritted teeth. The top of my quad seized up again making the ride home agony.

Slumped in the bath for an hour, did some stretches and then decided "In the New Year, things will get back on track." As everyone does at this time of year.

Posted by Alex on 29 December 2006, 00:12 Digg this | Add to del.icio.us | Reddit | Newsvine | Facebook | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks ()

Winter has finally arrived rolling across London with thick morning fog the last couple of days. It's even forced the thick Altura winter jacket out of the closet, although it's gone back in now that I've remembered just how much it makes me sweat. I think I may have to look at a softshell to replace it - Rapha and Howies are top of the list and I think we all know which one I really want. Better start saving then.

More importantly I'd better start training properly. I've noticed I've put on something monumentally stupid like 5kg since the summer and not all of that can be muscle. I've not even been out on my good bike since I flipped the stem and had my cyclefit. I would have gone out on Saturday but there's some last minute Christmas stuff to be done so I might settle for riding down to my mum's on Sunday if I don't go out on a club ride.

From mid-January I won't be doing my daily 30-minute-each-way commute which, ironically, may actually be beneficial as it will mean I'm not going to be too tired to train as a result of commuting. That doesn't mean I won't be cycling to work. Obviously I will be enjoying the five-minute blast up the road to work.

Tomorrow is another chance to commute in thick fog probably which is actually more fun than it should be, just so long as you don't get too distracted by watching your own breath condensing in front of you.

Posted by Alex on 21 December 2006, 00:12 Digg this | Add to del.icio.us | Reddit | Newsvine | Facebook | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks ()

Good article from Bikebiz here:

http://www.bikebiz.co.uk/Why-is-stomach-stapling-sexier-than-cycling

The title says it all. While NICE (which is easier to type than the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) repeatedly mention cycling as a way to deal with obesity the mainstream media, in typically sensationalist and downright unjournalistic fashion report the headline as being gastric band surgery.

Posted by Alex on 13 December 2006, 23:12 Digg this | Add to del.icio.us | Reddit | Newsvine | Facebook | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks ()

Went in for my cyclefitting today at Cyclefit to see if getting my position right would help deal with my various problems. After a couple hours of pedalling, adjusting and measuring I came away feeling much happier about the cause of most of the problems: me.

The advice from Mark was that I need to get back into some semblance of a stretching regime as I'm ridiculously inflexible - he didn't disagree with my opinion that I might as well be made of plywood - and that I should do this after every ride, when I'm warm and limbered up rather than from cold. I have to plead guilty to this as there's no question that I often put off today's stretching until tomorrow.

So it's time to get out my mat and make a point of flexing my muscles properly. Now onto the rest of my woes...

Given that it's my left side that has been causing the most trouble it's no surprise that I came back with a LeWedge shim stuck between the cleat and shoe on that side. The difference in pedalling is definitely tangible as my heel doesn't feel like it's fishtailing through each stroke. My right foot didn't need much doing to it, other than the cleat aligning properly over the ball of my foot.

The most noticeable change is from the custom footbeds that I had done. My feet actually feel properly supported underneath the arches and much more stable when the pressure goes down. It's a novel sensation but not one that I feel uncomfortable with. I'm pretty sure I'll grow to love it over the coming weeks.

Actually, the most noticeable change is at the front end where I had a 4cm plus drop to the bars. This has been reduced to 1cm which was no problem on my everyday Trek 1000 as that's pretty much how it came in the first place. On my Giant it has meant having to foresake aesthetic pleasures in favour of flipping the stem over to give me the more neutral position.

Oddly this commonsense change felt a bit of a blow to my pride as it involves a tacit admission that I'm no pro and should stop dreaming about it. I've been putting off the cyclefit for ages (money the main reason) but I have to say I'd recommend it to anyone who has a niggle or wants to sort out their position on the bike.

So for me it's stretches and building core strength up which are going to be important over the next few months. Which is cheaper than having to build up a new bike, although, while I was there I did take a peek at the Merckx aluminium frame they've got on sale and was severely tempted by it...

I must, and shall, resist buying another bike until at least next winter which is when I may consider building up a cyclocross bike for winter using my Trek 1000 as the place to salvage my parts from and attack to one of cyclefit's Boxer Cross frames. I tell a lie, I may have to get an SRAM Rival groupset fitted before then, if I can get hold of one.

Still, at least I haven't been driven to the sort of bike madness that has overtaken Richard Caseby of the Sunday Times: It’s all about the bike. Well not yet...

Posted by Alex on 11 December 2006, 21:12 Digg this | Add to del.icio.us | Reddit | Newsvine | Facebook | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks ()

I've been enjoying mine for a while now so here's my more extended view on the little big beauty (for a picture click here):

"I went with the front adjustable strap which I definitely prefer to a side one, like the one on my crumpler bag, as it's much easier to yank on the strap and pull it into position with one hand and is a lot more adjustable in terms of getting it to sit right. Also, you've got all the fastenings within reach so it's much easier to micro-adjust while riding and without having to reach round behind you. Plus in theory you can switch which shoulder it goes over, although I've yet to try this (force of habit I think).

It's surprisingly light on the back when positioned right. When it's only got a few things in I barely notice it. I probably should make more of an effort to use the compression straps as sometimes it does feel a bit "floaty" when near empty if if don't compress it down, although this might be because I havn't fully broken it in yet. It generally "wraps" very nicely as it gets emptier.

Visibility: there's only one area where it interferes and that's when it's very full and then only slightly in the space right behind my right shoulder, so at the limit of my perpheral vision and where someone shouldn't really be riding except in a race (but you know London commuters, they usually do).

The larger of the two zip pockets on the exterior comfortably takes my abus cable lock (I think it's one of the 80cm ones) and leash and I can get all my tools and tubes in the smaller one so they don't grubby up the inside."

Posted by Alex on 3 December 2006, 12:12 Digg this | Add to del.icio.us | Reddit | Newsvine | Facebook | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks ()

Having spent most of the last two weeks feeling exhausted and not sleeping properly my body has finally kicked me in the arse and succumbed to the cold virus doing the rounds. Of course it waited until Friday evening to pick up, thus ruining the weekend for cycling purposes.

Over-exertion increases susceptibility to whatever is going round and is traditionally something endurance athletes have to battle against. Except I'm hardly an endurance athlete at the moment given my haphazard training regime and daily commuting. Perhaps I just need to wrap up better against winter - I'm still commuting in just my Rapha jersey, armwarmers and gilet on my top half, kneewarmers and baggies on the bottom half.

Still at least it gives me a chance to dose up on lemsip and assorted other potions and cures, including the classic "jewish penicillin" of chicken soup. In my case this was homemade with a thai twist of fresh chillies and garlic. I did intend to add some ginger but couldn't find any down the Co-op.

I've also finally booked in for a Cyclefit on 11th December so hopefully I'll be able to go into the new year more comfortable on the bike and with my left leg problems a little improved. I'll try and report on the experience if I have time and get some pictures. I'm going to get my "good bike" set up properly and then see if I can't transform my everyday one myself into the right fit as a challenge.

Posted by Alex on 3 December 2006, 11:12 Digg this | Add to del.icio.us | Reddit | Newsvine | Facebook | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks ()