your daily bicycle log

I braved the temperatures (-2C this morning, supposedly rising to a toasty 2C this afternoon) and went for a gentle ride into London today (as there would be less chance of encountering ice there than out in the countryside). Past White Hart Lane, Alexandra Palace, through Hampstead Heath and Regents Park, over the river, up to The (nearly-finished) Shard, and back via the edge of the Olympic Park.
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Nice Circuit

Bike back, brand new shift lever, one side only though so now my levers don't match, I'll take this as a badge of honour, though. New cables and bar tape too.

Mechanic at the Trek store who did the bike (cheaper, fewer arseholes than ProBikes), had the same thing happen on his monday ride. SRAM had a lever for him the next day.

Looking outside right now, I'm glad I went for a ride on Friday because I won't be going anywhere tomorrow:
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This morning we measured out at 22 inches of fresh snow. My back is killing me from shovelling.

out along the usual hilly road, but had lead in the legs or something. aborted before the real hard bits. where has my glorious january form gone!!

165 km this weekend. Did an FTP test with trainerroad on saturday then a VO2 max improving workout today. The day started grey, but had brightened up by the end of my workout. So post lunch I went out for a flat spin in the sunshine. Riding on the road is so much more comfortable. I was having huge amounts of fun throwing the bike around.

Then I got a slowish flat in the front wheel, pumped it up, went on it went down. Replaced the tube, whilst doing so I pulled out 10 pieces of grit from the tread, all deep but none going through. The rear wheel was also slow and 5km later it was not holding air at all, only one tube so I had to walk the last 4 km home.

I hate walking in cleats.

I had a three-mile walk home through London in March last year after my chain broke. The cleats were less of an issue than the whole lycra tights and helmet thing while trudging past literally hundreds of surly teenagers.

Lots of climbing yesterday, amazing weather and long sweeping descents. We were all sort of giddy by the end.

Introducing my iconoclastic randonneur friend to the city club I ride with has gone well so far, should make my life less complicated.

It being Super Bowl sunday it was pretty quiet out (bars close for Super Bowl which seems bizarre to me), although the few surly looking teens I passed didn't give me any grief. In general I don't get much hassle for lycra in Pittsburgh. This being a sports mad town I think people just see it as the proper equipment and respect it as such.

Bloomin;' stressful riding tonight - really wet & really cold, i.e. literally freezing, with eerie fog.

Still very cold but the roads are clear of snow. Did another 31-mile ride around London rather than chancing the country lanes:
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Nice, I'm hoping to do something similar tomorrow as we were too busy today. Weather looks much worse though, sleet forecast at nine. Tend to draw the line at sleet. A bit scary to think I'm doing my first night ride of the year (Brighton unfortunately) in just a month's time.

Let's hope the weather's *much* better by then

crikey yes, mind you, on Southend in December we clocked -4 at the stop at the scout hut at Stock, only hairy bit was at the ford somewhere near Ingatestone where a couple of people went down on frozen car-splash.

March ride last year though had slushies in bidons and frozen seatpacks though......

Oh crikey, I'm going to end up Audaxing aren't I? #oldman

-4 yesterday morning when I went out, and -3 when I got back 2 hours and 25 miles later. Had to stop and walk through some treacherous icy patches on a couple of country lines, hence the slow time, but mainly the roads were dry as a bone, thankfully. A little warmer this morning for 17 miles, especially in town, but very, very chilly on a couple of exposed roads through country fields.

But glad to be back on the bike after pretty 3 weeks off it with football-related injuries. Even if it is fucking freezing.

Temps aren't breaking 20Fand plenty ice and snow on roads=trainer I guess. I'm glad it doesn't matter because this has been my least motivated winter yet.

Half-term break, another 30-mile London ride. I'm getting the hang of working out where I'm going in the backstreets of Hackney now. Did three laps of Regents Park at a reasonable pace to make up for the fact I haven't been on a proper training ride for several weeks now - the racing season is less than a month away and I don't feel even remotely ready. Made a foolish detour on my way home to go on the track across Walthamstow Marshes and in an underpass below two railway lines I ended up riding through a long puddle of icy water that reached a depth of about 18 inches (bottom bracket and feet completely submerged).

Did that once on a memorable freezing Christmas day ride with my brothers a couple of years ago. Looked fine, wasn't. Ended up riding the final seven miles with feet gradually turning to blocks of ice.

Did almost exactly the same ride as yesterday (but without the foolish detour). Tried racing around the Outer Circle of Regent's Park. Managed the first lap (2.74 miles) at bang on 20mph, but the second time round I got stopped by three sets of traffic lights.

Got the racer out and drove over to Hog Hill for some hard training and a chance to try out new shoes / helmet / pedals.

Out again today, this time on a proper ride out to the countryside and back. Tried a few one-minute intervals, but they were destroying me - I feel strangely unfit considering how much riding I've been doing.

really excited to ride outside today, haven't done in 3 weeks, just too lazy mainly.

Still have not ridden NEW BIKE because it's not ~quite~ warm for road kit also because I am scared of mucking it up with even dry winter roads

My bike is in such a dreadful state from winter roads! Poor Armstrong sure does suffer at least as much as I do. Have had some really great rides recently though...

February has been a bit rubbish. Travelling and sickness has really kept my riding down. I had president's day off, it was sunny, not too cold and I couldn't get out of bed. Pah.

WIll still rack up 1000km for the year to end of feb but could have been so much more. Back on the bike today I still felt weak and not at my best.

2012 to end of Feb, or whatever, you know what I mean.

12-ish miles to Olympic stadium and back in shorts in freakishly mild February weather on Thurs afternoon, 45 miles yesterday, 23 today, children's party tomorrow.

Just to see what it felt like, did my ride today, 57 miles, at a really chill pace the whole way. Pretty nice, felt like I was floating in some sections, but ... confirmed: I prefer going fast. I even like feeling wasted at the end of the ride.

I'm over 2000 miles for the year so far. All fixed. I'm en-route to destroying my second drivetrain of the year already as well though...

That's incredible

Thanks! I need manufacturers to employ me for real-world endurance testing of components! Anyone who works for KMC, Surly, On-One, Condor, Shimano, EAI, ...? :-)

didn't realize surly had a presence in the uk tbh

The bikes don't really, but you get the fixed-gear cogs, which I like.

Today:
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Hey so what stretches do y'all do? My thighs are killing me!

Not sure I know the names of the stretches or how to describe them.

I do love the foam roller which works like a self administered deep tissue massage.

rollers otm

need roller. Perhaps one can DIY such a roller? Also my lower back hurts. I am probably biking wrong. I tend to lean forward.

Someone on twitter was talking about using a section of 4" PVC pipe.

My first 'event' of the year this weekend: a sportive in Sussex which has been mercifully shortened to 65 miles due to roadworks (though, sadly, re-routed up an 18% climb). Yesterday we had unseasonal sunshine and I went out after work and did 22 miles in shorts thinking the world was a wonderful place. Today it's cold and grey and I don't feel like doing anything. The forecast for Sunday is heavy rain all day long and a much lower temperature than we've had all week. I feel aggrieved.

Ugh. As predicted, it rained non-stop and was cold. Four hours or so of misery - I was absolutely soaked all the way through within 10 miles and just had to keep plodding on. I rode it with my brother this year. There were supposed to be about 450 riders, but just over half of them didn't even start as the weather was appalling. Even of the ones who started about 40 didn't finish. I came 32nd out of 183 finishers with my brother in 37th place (we were together until the final climb up Ditchling Beacon). I don't think I've ever had to ride so long in such terrible conditions. I felt like I was covered in mud and had been dumped in a river. I couldn't see where I was going half the time and the descents were terrifying (especially a twisting 15% hill).

sounds awesome excellent job.

i rode up the canyon for the first time this year, hurrah. i sucked, but it was nice. 60 deg and sunny.

down the eastern side of the bay and back. 214km! pretty flat for the most part but fantastic rolling stuff for 15k between mornington and dromana.

kinda got smoked by riding partner who was on new liquigas-spec supersix evo, tho :0

I need to asks you about Melbourne cycling and melbourne in general. I might be out your way soon.

Can I also take a moment to curse Pittsburgh and the number of tyres I been through in the last month or so?

Buying new tyres (Conti GP 4 season after removing gashed Durano pluses) did make me go to a new bike store and after 3 years in Pittsburgh I have now found a legit bike store. It's got Scott, Colnago Cervelo, Merckx Pinarello, Trek and a bunch of other stuff, the guy said they sold 1000 road bikes last year which seems pretty good for a single outlet. Stock was seriously impressive. A bit out of the way for me without a car but a nice incentive to stop by on the return leg of a long ride.

Nearly got dropped by someone thirty years my senior yesterday. Felt better when I found out he's been racing for forty years. Cool old dude wrwa.

got ne-pwned hard on the way up the climb today, but i didn't care too much, it was gorgeous out, shorts and shortsleeves. my road bike had been in a suitcase since september, i put it together this morning. god, i love to ride that bike.

30 miles yesterday, 47 today. Glorious sunshine most of the way today, too.