your daily bicycle log

My mind's eye has been designing fat mantis shirts whilst riding.

I hope I'm following in your pedal strokes, steve.

thxing u dudes. here's the course elevation profile I forgot to insert into my long-ass post:
http://www.steephill.tv/2010/tour-of-california/profile-03.png

ALSO: i'd gladly rock a team Fat Mantis kit (size XXL plz) if y'all are serious about starting an internet based cycling team of pastry loving pootling vicars.

*googles custom jersey pricing*

have been persisting w/crappy pedals on my roadie since xmas when I had picked up some spds. finally got round to re-fitting the spds onto the roadie this morning and gave them a quick try. didn't really notice the 'pull' effect all tht much but I think I had the tension set too low, cos I was having trouble getting into them. will give them a more thorough work out tomorrow on a longer run

*googles custom jersey pricing*

check out champion systems

yeah that's where the teams i know get 'em

doing the rapha gentlemen's race again tomorrow. this time it's in connecticut:

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ct/cornwall/288127368426658731

champ-sys is dope and iirc there is some sort of nyc ilx connection there afair.

garneau is dope though, not sure if i'll ever *switch*

cuttles, 6 clubmates did it last year in Oregon and said it was so completely epic. hit me up on im and i'll send you link to pix and ride report (full rundown).

Got my bike back yesterday after spending about £220 to sort out the problems (new chain, new chainrings, new cassette, new jockey wheels), more than I was expecting to spend, but they'd upgraded some bits to Dura Ace.

Went out and did 46.5 miles today at a leisurely pace. The combined effects of hayfever medication drowsiness and the baking sunshine convinced me to take it easy.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/34191891

40% of that ride was gravel, dirt and rocks. those big climbs in the middle there... all rocks... insanity.

so excellent cutty. what tires were you riding? hope they were fat.

finally got out on the road bike, it was cloudless but pretty cold at 6:30 am. did a climb i don't usually get out to nowadays. when you begin the steep descent into evergreen you get an amazing view of the valley and mt evans.

Distance: 53.83 mi
Time: 03:15:36 h:m:s
Elevation Gain: 4,715 ft
Avg Speed: 16.5 mph

i used 700x25 hutchinson intensive tubeless tires:

http://www.hutchinsontires.com/en/catalogue-route.php?fiche=intensive-rtl.php&univers=4&pid=10

amazing performance

I cat 6ed the real fat mantis today. (OK so he was an chinese guy on an Airborne and he was in pretty good shape, slightly chubby face, however he did look slightly like the guy in the pic)

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4046/4633934736_05dd180265_b.jpg

guess who the guy on the left in orange t-shirt taking is? will upload pix tomorrow.

Did an mtb course on sat - the same one more or less we did a year or two ago and failed to capitalise on. Great stuff, from the ground up - basic riding position, dealing with drops/steeps, cornering. The stuff for drops and steep bits is probably the easiest win, basically hang right back off the back, even dropping down behind the saddle so it touches your chest. Danger of going over the bars becomes virtually nil, you're still in control, if it comes to the worst you can just drop right off the back. Cornering I think will be a lot harder to master.

is there anything better than cycling about in pleasant spring weather

ha went for my longer clipless test ride this morning. was going along fine until about the 7th or 8th set of traffic lights. slowed down and thought I had enough space to track stand till they changed, was edging along and realised I was going to run out of road before the red switched so decided to unclip but in the process completely lost my balance and went over like a tree

didn't hurt all that much but it was pretty embarassing falling over like an idiot in front of a queue of cars : /

hint: clip out as you anticipate slowing down but keep your cleat in the seat of the clip with just enough pressure NOT to clip in. it takes a little practice but is healthier than falling over in the middle of the road.

if the light changes green, just apply pressure down and you're back in business.

if the light stays red, then you can easily put your foot down.

Did the hilly 10-mile circuit time trial again tonight and knocked another 20 seconds off my course best. This time the battery died on my Cateye computer before the start, so I had to ride 'blind' and just guess how fast I was going. Fortunately this didn't seem to have any impact. I'm really getting the hang of the fast cornering now.

Startled a girl on my way to work this morning. She was pootling. I gave a clear "Passing left but she" was too busy waving to her friend across the street. She gave shriek and put her foot down as I gave her a wide berth. I feel a little guilty but I'm not sure if I did anything wrong.

Maybe your "Passing left but she" wasn't that clear?

hint: clip out as you anticipate slowing down but keep your cleat in the seat of the clip with just enough pressure NOT to clip in. it takes a little practice but is healthier than falling over in the middle of the road.

this is a total pro-tip, thanking you. got this done w/a little practice this afternoon and thankfully didn't fall once during a brisk 20 miler :)

got this down*

Time: 28:34:05
Distance: 538.53 km
Elevation Gain: 2,221 m
Calories: 36,881 C

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/35526805

Whoa! Any text to go along with the data?

woah nice, ed! yeah, what's the deal? trans-europe tour?

just got back from a 40 miler around the campsie hills myself; beautiful day here in glasgow so I got some pics I'll put up in a bit

the kms threw me off, apols, I realise 300miles isn't enough to get you across europe

42.82miles, 2hrs52mins, 14.88mph avg., top speed 36.44mph (new record!)
http://img.skitch.com/20100603-rf5qp5udsgb1x8e1rpu247ahd9.jpg

bottom of the crow road
http://img.skitch.com/20100603-tkwxwx8wj6hg7nurc2yjjjpawd.jpg
http://img.skitch.com/20100603-8436a7rbyd989x4e3pm86ftg2r.jpg
from the car park at the top
http://img.skitch.com/20100603-emp8q8p5qx2fryrc7simaa4qn1.jpg
http://img.skitch.com/20100603-p53qjse4cu5511scyy5b9y3p8w.jpg
http://img.skitch.com/20100603-be7caewhd3et2uy7wrk18x9wkp.jpg

totally feeling that!

i need me some more scotland imho.

That was my annual DC to Pittsburgh bike trip, left friday evening got into town yesterday. Time was rolling time rather than continuous. Pretty easy semi-credit card style touring, camping but buying food in restaurants along the way. Averaging around 55-60 miles a day on the flat is fine but the canal up to cumberland can be pretty draining as it is rough, lots of ruts and tree roots. 20 set out, the DC folks went home from Cumberland MD which was a blessing as there were a few idiots in that bunch, (Who buys 160 buck ortlieb panniers and hangs them off a seat post rack and wonders is them banging into the spokes is a bad thing or not?)

Nothing too alarming on the technical front, One girl broke 7 spokes over a couple of days, kevlar replacement spokes are a godsend but we got to know all the bike shops on the route. What I surmise happened was that the wheel was over tight as manufactured (it had already broken a spoke just commuting in DC), every time we replaced a spoke we tightened to true it, stressing the spokes even more leading to more failures. Once we loosened all of the spokes a turn it ceased to break them.

I gave myself a self inflicted flat on the climb up to Frostberg. I thought I had a slow puncture as the crushed limestone trail feels slippy like when you have a flat. I pumped the tyre, went another mile pumped it again, went 100 yards and blew the tyre off the rim. As always was pissed off and rushed the repair and fucked a second tube. That messed with my aim to do the climb to frostberg non-stop, not steep, max 2% but you definitely feel it. B. a tiny indian girl was our unexpected KOM there. Other things of note was K. doing the whole tour on a fixie as, despite having 19 bikes in his basement, it was the best thing he could cobble together for the trip. He also started a day late and did 120 miles in one stint arriving at 1am having had tyre problems in the morning.

Coming down off the continental divide we got a great paceline going to deal with the headwind. Again its former railroad so the grade is slight but as R. says it makes you feel like a fucking ninja. Good for an extra couple of sustainable mph.

Good fun, managed to avoid any rain until we got ourselves fixed in the pub back in Pittsburgh.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_be__MpmPq4U/TAhx0MxWRcI/AAAAAAAABpI/B03tXZm91JY/s512/DC%20to%20Pittsburgh%20-%20May%202010%20558.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_be__MpmPq4U/TAhw1H6TQrI/AAAAAAAABn0/3-kb71hGPg0/s512/DC%20to%20Pittsburgh%20-%20May%202010%20397.JPG

camping but buying food in restaurants along the way.

good idea imo

set out this morning at 10 to 8 - forecast was for 'fog, then sunny, 17 deg c'. it just looked a bit cloudy tho. north on bike path with short climb at the end, then flat roads east then north away from the burbs. (stopped for coffee and bacon+egg wrap on way.) had 55km up and still overcast by the time i hit humevale road. wish i'd had camera with me as i ground my way up, with the mix of burned trees mixed w/ fresh vegetation and growing misty, it looked amazing (and not a car all the way up). by the time i got to the top the mist was dense fog w/ visibility of about 20 metres, and it got worse all the way up to kinglake - i got off the road onto a shared path at one stage to make sure i didn't get cleaned up by a car. i had frost forming on my jersey at this point also. stopped for lunch and to thaw out at kinglake, then took sketchy descent w/ the fog and some damp patches on the road. (roadworks at one point too.) rollers back towards the suburbs, and by the time i got to eltham i'd had enough and caught the train home!

5:15.30
114.1 km
21.7 km/h avg
63 rpm avg
154 bpm avg
2542 calories

humevale ascent timed from the start of the road rather than the climb proper: 9.9km, 36:32.0 @ 16.3 km/h

which country has the best roads?

Ed, Cozen, those are some sweet rides. I'm feeling very blah towards cycling at the moment and need to get a) out of London and b) somewhere new and interesting and get stuck in. I have a sportive in 4 weeks and I haven't done a 30+ mile ride since 2009, sigh.

got to do these sometime; krakow have you done either? (pinched from gfgss ;)

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/13224084
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3410659

anyway did a quick ride this morning, wanted to see how fast I could do 10 miles. managed a moderately hilly 10 miles w/traffic lights in 34 mins: officially a fat mantis. def think I could go faster on that course, and obv faster still on a flat course w/no lights

if only I had a zone 5

I've done the Largs ride, cozen, but not the epic ferry hopping route. The ride to Largs was a nice one, quite a bit of busy road through Port Glasgow, so be prepared for that, but the views, especially once you pass Greenock, can be tremendous and well worth it.

Last night I was in our secure garage at work and two blokes who were there to get their bikes found out they'd been nicked. I brought in a second D-lock today but I can't help thinking that thieves will realise they've stumbled across an Aladdin's cave of bikes which you can enter simply by waiting for someone else to and then following them.

On Memorial Day (last Monday), I rode up Mt. Hamilton (4100 feet) in San Jose which is an 18 mile 3-stage climb to the highest point in the bay area. It was really mellow compared to the two other big mountains in the bay area (Mt. Tamalpais & Mt. Diablo), supposedly because the road was intended for donkeys to haul equipment up to the summit for the Lick Observatory.

The summit has a pretty kill view with some nice switchbacks:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1302/4668289968_41fcf43f65_b.jpg

Prior to that hill climb, I did this 3.5 mile climb up Sierra Road (also in SJ) which ~averages~ 10% so you know it had some nauseatingly crippling grade pitches. But I put in a big effort for a big guy: 323W for 29:33. Avg speed was 7.1mph. By comparison, this was the exact same power as Chris Horner **BUT** as he is nearly 24 kg lighter than I, he was able to complete the climb in ~23 minutes/~10mph (with a great deal left of racing left to do).

Oh my god. Nice work.

lick = dope observatory.

The last of my Wednesday morning rides - I'll have to work instead for the timebeing. The expected showers held off and I had a great time bombing through the lanes of Essex - it's always much better driving out of London before starting the ride. I did 33 miles at 19.3mph without stopping at all: no traffic lights, no map stops, no food stops and no 'natural breaks'.

hadn't been on a bike in over a month. been traveling a bunch and got pretty sick (who catches pneumonia in hawaii?!). went on a ride on sunday in NY w/a few friends. rode over from williamsburg to chelsea and up to the cloisters on a terribly ugly borrowed bike. rode up the west side highway (is that what it's called?). pretty amazing ride along hudson river. no lights, tons of annoying roller bladers and dumb asses that swerve in front of you out of nowhere, but really beautiful. we ended up in harlem and had lunch at dominican restaurant where we were the only non-dominicans. pretty cool tbh.

unfortunately my right knee has been hurting the past few rides i've been on. wonder if i'm doing something wrong or if i'm just broken and my short bike career is already over.

o, i guess that's like 25 miles?

never thought I'd say this but I find the gap between the 15t and 17t cog very annoying. 53-16 feels like where I should be on the flat.

guess I should be on 39-12

105 miles & 8k feet of climbing with three Cat 3 dudes today (2 climbers!) = sufferfest. the non-climber really does not like to ride under 25mph... very painful ride.

~barf~