your daily bicycle log

I didn't phone is always in case in back jersey pocket. Was taking it slow too, need to get used to those cantis. Loving the ultegra though, soooo smooth .

I finally got back out on the fixie for the first time in a year (I broke the frame in an ultra-low-speed crash, then didn't get round to sending it off for repair for 9 monhts, oops). I'd forgotten how much less immediately responsive it is than the Focus. But I'm really looking forward to taking it on the commute. Here it is in its current guise (bar tape and possibly saddle will get a Christmas overhaul):

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6115/6270126547_b20d9c0a22_o.jpg

15 miles then hit a gust of wind and some country lane mud at the same time. Then I hit the ground. Knackered my other shoulder. Wife is on the way to fetch me.

Unlucky

Ouch dude, hope it heals up quick.

I've got a trapped nerve or muscle strain or something in my shoulder, didn't feel it at all when on the bike yesterday but it hurts like a motherfucker now, and feels like it's spreading down the middle of my back. Off now to get a new, firmer pillow.

Saw your road rash on twitter, you'll heal.

I've been laid up all week with a nasty cold and now I get to spend a week in the hyatt in Alburqurque hope they have a half decent gym.

Hip/arse and ankles are pretty much fine. Shoulder, which took the brunt of my 12st 6lbs frame impacting onto dirty tarmac, is in quite a lot of pain, though. And just after the other shoulder had got better! A week out of the saddle, I think. 317 miles this month, not so bad.

http://sickmouthy.com/2011/10/24/hit-the-ground-riding/

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6052/6277162372_d21bebc728_z.jpg

Levis-Trow, WI, this weekend

so fukkin good

Half-term holiday, drove down to Biggin Hill, did a 31-mile hilly ride down in Kent with my brother including two different ascents of Toy's Hill.

Jealous of GBX.

I've never been interested in bike camping. However - this weekend had invites to a beach BBQ on Saturday, 30 miles north, and Sunday an oyster feast 20 miles north of that. Saturday had a decent amount of climbing. Sunday was gentle rollers and just gorgeous. Solid weekend, unlikely to happen again.

sidewinder, epic jam:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaahQvu8czg

not me obv but evidently uploaded a few days before i was down there. doesn't quite do justice to the exposure, imo. guy i know fell at the narrow section @ 5:00, went down 35 feet (!!!), but escaped with scrapes and bruises only.

also at this time i would like to point out that i was otm ott (on that trail) and only dabbed twice.

(long vid, but worth scrubbing through at least)

wow some of that looks really narrow, very cool

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r299/crunchydog_2006/bigginhillrideoct.jpg
Just logged it: over 900 metres of climbing today

Yestiday- 80 degrees and brilliant sun, shorts and short sleeves to and from work.

Now:
Overnight: Snow. Low around 29. North northeast wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Total nighttime snow accumulation of 5 to 9 inches possible.
Wednesday: Snow. High near 30. North northeast wind between 7 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 7 inches possible.

~melancholy~

it has been the most exquisite fall i've ever seen in denver tho. the leaves here normally just turn brown. they are brutally ripped from the trees by september and october storms. this year we had gorgeous crimson, yellow, orange... well, we don't have that many trees, but it was beautiful and unusual for here.

That's a hell of a savage drop in temperature.

no, this is a savage drop in temperature:
Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of snow before midnight. Partly cloudy, with a low around 15. North northwest wind 6 to 9 mph becoming southwest.

we still have roses in bloom. that's denver-- its usually good weather, but when storms come in, anything could happen.

went around the block of my LBS on a penny farthing that they pulled out of their storage. once you get going it's not very different from a modern bike but starting and stopping can get a little nuts. also, uphills are pretty wobbly.

Awesome!

41 miles yesterday, most of it in the rain

just scrubbed through gbx's vid. a lot of pedalling! that narrow northshore with the billion foot drop on the left... fuuuuuuck. i'd've been walking.

25 mostly frustrating miles yesterday: the first outing on the winter bike for a while and it just feels really sluggish and unresponsive. Also the compact chainset makes for far too big a difference when you change into the small ring, so your cadence goes mental and you have to change up about 3 cogs to get back to a normal rhythm. Worst of all: the mudguards rub all the time. I can get the wheels to spin freely when I hold the bike up in the air, but once I'm actually in the saddle and riding my weight compresses things just enough to get the tyres rubbing the mudguards again. There just isn't enough clearance, so I don't think this is going away.

50 easy miles in cloudless 80 degree SoCal weather yesterday. First long solo ride in a while, and also the first ride I listened to music for a while. Playlist: giant steps, playgroup dj-kicks mix, shed's summer house mix, and a couple techno mixes I did. So fun

Jealous

Should have done 64 miles over exmoor today but I'm not up to it after the crash last week. Sad face.

took advantage of today's public holiday...

http://i43.tinypic.com/9v9nbc.gif

the big climb there is the bowden spur road, 8km on dirt, the highlighted bit (4km avg 9%) with long ramps near 20%! i walked a good bit of it, frankly.

I hit a woman on the way in today. In the right lane of a three-lane, one-way road (Finborough Road in Chelsea/Earls Court, heading north). Although the other two lanes were traffic-filled this lane is usually empty as few people turn right, as I needed to, so I was riding about 15mph up it when a woman steps out from behind a van, not looking, and although I shout "watch out" and slam on the brakes, we're too close and I hit her hard enough to cause her some fair bruising. I endo elegantly and manage not to fall off, though the handlebar catches me hard on the right knee.

We're both more or less okay, I think - had I been going faster (or been, say, a car) then it would have been a lot less pretty. I guess it's not a bad thing to be a bit shaken up, to get a reminder every now and then of how dangerous it can be out there, but I dunno - I hate anything that makes me less keen to ride.

Distance: 245.20 mi
Time: 18:17:19 h:m:s

busy, shitty, shitty, shitty month.

xp was she suitably contrite?

Hunter - that's an extreme day's cycling!

(Yes, yes, I know, it's on the wrong thread)

Excellent, after 2 weeks off the bike, the osteopath has fixed me up and identified my problem (torn neck muscles and an upper back in need of repair). Back on my lovely new kaffenback on Friday after a tentative gym session tomorrow.

5x15 second sprints, max effort

― cutty, Wednesday, October 17, 2007 5:58 AM (4 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

rest 5 mins in between

― cutty, Wednesday, October 17, 2007 5:59 AM (4 years ago) Bookmark

ha! that sounds easy!

today sucked. slow.

It sounds easy until you understand where your max watts is!

Getting from 50% to 90% takes a bit of work but getting from 90% to 100% is miserable.

Winter tyres on, hoods straightened. I could ride tomorrow.

135 miles, 6k feet of climbing including 1.6 miles averaging over 10% grade (pure pain).

Felt.... okay. Great in parts, miserable in others.

12 miles, gently. First outing since the crash a fortnight ago.

16 miles around the surrey hills yesterday, 10 miles at swinley today. cycling in autumn is so beautiful, well worth the mud and slippery tree roots.

It was the most astonishingly beautiful day here, though properly cold - 70 miles around the Campsies were wonderful. There was some amazingly dense mist sitting in the valleys, which was rather chilling and eerie to ride through; rather stunning to see it sitting solidly beneath one with hills and mountains rising like islands from a murky sea after climbing up to Killearn and Balfron though.

lovely image.

ok, so now i know i can ride 50 miles with a hangover trying to kill me.

http://i40.tinypic.com/15cmvie.gif

Did about an hour and a quarter of mountain biking with my chunky tyres on the cyclocross - good fun but scary!

27 miles today, down the estuary to Dawlish and back through country lanes. Glad of my winter tyres; autumn leaf mulch, cow pats, puddles, gravel-strewn estuary trails... I'd have died on slicks given what I did the other week.

Inspection brewing at work, so have worked right through the weekend :-(
No cycling, no fun

went via a new take on the usual route out to the hilly stuff. rain opened up right as i hooked around the hairpin to start the hard bit on mt pleasant rd - had to stop to put rain vest on at highest point, no strava PB for me. dried out after a coffee and went back towards city, some on road, some on dirt paths. ended up going south of city on flat roads and down to bayside nouveau-riche suburb to get some extra distance in, ate some calamari rings on the shore and watched the storm clouds build again. 67mi all up, 4900ft climbing (p much all in first half).

got a text on saturday that read "i've nicked your bike"

turns out my neighbour had nicked it to give it a good seeing to. truing, brakes, hub thing was on it's way out apparently. WHAT A HERO

Woah! That's kind, but unsolicited it's a bit... invasive? Also, giving hubs a good seeing to isn't exactly a quick superficial fix!

On the other hand, yay generous neighbour! Does it run like a dream now?

I'm not usually crazy about late autumn, but bugger me, riding conditions have been blissful the last few days.