Archive for May, 2009
Tuesday, May 26th, 2009
The bike box, empty. It's like standing at the foot of Everest.
Having read a number of accounts on the web about how it’s impossible to fit a bike into a dhb Elsted bike box, and refusing to believe this was true, I fought a long, hard battle to prove it can be done.
Follow the 10 easy steps:
- Dismantle the bike: remove handlebar, pedals, seatpost, rear mech.
- Place wheels in padded cases provided – removing the skewers first!
- Lie the rear wheel flat in one end of the box, cassette pointing outwards.
- Lie the frame in the box, rotating the forks 90 degrees so they face up (see images). The cranks should point skywards / towards the top of the case when stood up.
- Place a plastic wedge-thingy between the rear stays to keep them from straining the frame (bike shops can usually give you a set).
- Place one padded foam block beneath the seat clamp, the other above the big ring.
- Fasten the strap across the box contents.
- Lie the front wheel over the frame, the opposite end to where you put the rear wheel.
- Wrap the rear mech and place any other bits (pedals, seatpost/saddle, skewers) in the box.
- Close the case.
Step 10 is clearly much easier said than done. Don’t force it, or sit on it – just squeeze it closed, ensuring nothing gets caught in the process, and close the clasps one by one.
All in. Note position of handlebars.
It is in there - honest!
Tags: dhb
Posted in armchair, kit | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 26th, 2009
I got my ass kicked twice this weekend by some very fast riders.
The Phoenix club ride started brisk and was full-on during the third hour. We started as 10 and finished as 8. I just about stayed in contention, but only just. Here’s my HR graph:
Phoenix club graph
Monday’s ride was billed as a ’social’ with some mates of Jonny’s who have recently formed their own race team. The ‘Acuto‘ squad was 9-strong on the day, all clad in brand-new lycra team livery, and composed of an ex-pro, several current or former 2nd-cat racers, and this guy, a professional triathlete and xterra competitor. I was the incongruous tenth man in my Mornflake flouro kit.
To be fair I was on the pace for the first couple of hours, as we took a familiar route from Cobham over Shere and down to Ewhurst, easily the fastest I’ve ever ridden it. Then the speed began to hurt, and I was dropped on Leith Hill. It was in a way a fortuitous accident that after we went through Peaslake and began to head home, I took a wrong turn that landed me back in Ewhurst. I radio’d in, then bailed, riding across to Leith Hill (again) then over Coldhardbour to take a train from Dorking.
The moral of the story is, I need to ride with these guys more often. I had a really interesting chat with a guy on my Regent’s Park spin on Saturday, who told me he was a big believer in quality over quantity, and that 90 mins at 20 mph would be more valuable than 5 hrs at 16 mph (although he accepted that for events like La Marmotte there was no such thing as too many miles).
Tags: acuto, heartrate, jonny, londonphoenix, pace
Posted in bike, fitness, training | 1 Comment »
Sunday, May 24th, 2009
Around town in DC.
I went to Washington DC last week for a holiday. In summary, DC (at least the bits I visited) is very touristy, very stars ‘n’ stripes, really quite artificial – and frankly, kinda dull.
Wary of packing on pounds from potato chips, beer and desserts, during the week I put in a couple of token workouts in the hotel gym. Actually, the main purpose of these was not to burn calories but to warm up then have a good stretch – walking around town all day made my feet sore and my whole trunk and legs very stiff. Sightseeing and shopping are alike in this respect: they both cause fatigue without gratification.
I must have picked up some bug mid-week, because I was suffering on the flight home (I also got drunk Thursday night which didn’t help). By the time I landed at Heathrow, my body felt like a sack.
Miraculously, however, I have turned the situation around. I had Friday off, then did 6 laps of Regent’s Park yesterday, followed by 3 hours hard this morning with London Phoenix. And now I feel fine, much less worried about the forthcoming Ventoux sportive…
Tags: calories, flight, holiday, londonphoenix, regentspark, stretching, trip, ventoux
Posted in news, training | No Comments »
Thursday, May 14th, 2009
Kona Muni-Mula, 1998 edition.
I officially can’t decide what to do with my Kona Muni-Mula (1998) frame. Can I make this phoenix rise from the ashes one last time with £300-500? Or should I just flog it and buy a brand new MTB?
Sell it, trash it or pimp it: it’s your choice – simply cast your vote in the poll on the right hand side.
A few details that may help you decide:
- I like this bike. We’ve been through some times together.
- The frame handles well, it’s pretty light, and has only surface damage.
- The Marzocchi Bomber forks need a service but basically they’re fine.
- The headset needs replacing.
- The frame has no disc mounts, although the fork does.
- I would need to purchase new parts for everything you don’t see here except the handlebar, seatpost/saddle and front wheel.
Tags: forks, kona, mtb, muni-mula, vote
Posted in armchair, bike, kit | No Comments »
Thursday, May 14th, 2009
I almost forgot Alasdair sent me these a few weeks ago.
View from the Pentland Hills.
The Nibbler.
I need to get another mountain bike.
Tags: dair, mtb, pentlands, scotland, trails
Posted in armchair, bike | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 13th, 2009
Carne, John and me at the start of the ride. There was no post-ride shot (which is telling).
My Fred Whitton was a ride of 2 halves.
The first half was an idyllic trip through possibly the UK’s finest mountain wilderness. After an early, chilly start the weather gradually warmed up, bringing a stunning morning of clear skies and glassy lakes (scenic pics here). Starting out at 6.30 with Carne and his dad John, we cruised for an hour or so before I joined a quicker group going up Kirkstone Pass. My legs felt springy and strong on the climbs. I powered through Patterdale and Glenridding, then caught the wheel of a fast lad in a red Pearl Izumi gilet who pulled me along the A66 towards Keswick.
Honister Pass was hard – I remembered riding this on a mountain bike at some point with UYCC – but I felt reasonably comfortable and before long was hurtling down the valley to the Buttermere feed station, 52 miles in the bag. At this point, had I only stopped for 5 minutes, I might have carried on and not seen Carne / John until the finish. However they were only about 10 minutes behind and in the event we restarted the ride together, up another toughie, Newlands Pass.
Barely a flat section in sight.
The following climb, Whinlatter Pass, was the highlight of the day. Again I’d ridden away with a quicker set of riders, and I remember cresting Whinlatter, at about 70 miles, to the cheers of 100+ spectators lining the road. Was it me or did someone shout ‘Go Lance!’?
The second half of the ride was an increasingly gritty story. The unremitting climbing had blasted my legs, and a sort of acid-heavy pain was setting in. I knew the worst was to come, but Carne had caught up with me and together we made the second feed stop.
The three of us took a good 15-20 mins at this stage. I actually sat down to stretch out my glutes and lower back, which felt like stiff cardboard. One rider arrived with cuts all over his legs and face, clearly the victim of a high-speed spill. Together we stuffed our faces then embarked on the final punishing leg.
It was 15 miles of undulating road along the valley to Hardknott. My sugar levels were fine and I was pretty sure my legs could handle it, but the key memory I will take with me from the Whitton ‘09 was the sight of the road from Boot winding up into the clouds at the head of the pass, a long train of riders like ants crawling upwards at an agonisingly slow pace.
The crowds were out in force on the slopes of the climb, especially on the steepest sections, where the gradient reached 33%. While most dismounted to walk up, I watched as some guy toppled back off his bike into the bonnet of a parked car, still clipped into his cleats. Riders were shouting at themselves to eke out a few more revolutions, some Aussie guy was yelling at me to ‘bury it into the corner’; generally the spectators seemed to be loving the pain display. I can’t recall exactly what happened but I did end up kind of slipping and coming off right at the top.
Over the top the weather suddenly closed in. There was snow and hail on the road and the descent from Hardknott was freezing and frankly terrifying. The rain made sweat run into my eyes, which didn’t help matters. Wrynose Pass was still to come, with more sections of 25% to contend with.
By the time I crossed the line I was shivering. 8hrs and 7 minutes. Could I have ridden it faster? Possibly. Could I have spent less time admiring the views and eating, and more time caning it? Definitely… but I had a good ride.
Height Gain
Quick note on the Whitton’s total height gain, which was 3,800m (more detail here) compared to the 4,400m of La Marmotte’s 4 big cols (height gain info and more here).
Fred Whitton food intake:
- 3 ham rolls
- 3 slices of malt loaf
- 4 flapjacks
- 2 bananas
- 5 bottles of drink
- fruit pastilles at intervals
Tags: carne
Posted in bike, news, sportives | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, May 12th, 2009
Thanks to @johanbruyneel for this.
Today is Stage 4 of the Giro d’Italia, 162km from Padova to San Martino di Castrozza. Trying to have a clue what’s going on by following cyclingnews.com…
Tags: giro, pro
Posted in armchair | No Comments »
Friday, May 8th, 2009
'Bicycle bling for geared up girls'.
Finally, fashion gets interesting.
Cyclodelic is a fashion label for girls who ride bikes. Read more on the LCF website, then buy some bling.
Tags: bling, cyclodelic, fashion, girls
Posted in armchair, out-there | No Comments »
Friday, May 8th, 2009
Oh great. 112 miles in the drizzle.
Tags: rain, weather
Posted in armchair | No Comments »
Thursday, May 7th, 2009
The route: all 112 miles of it.
I read the detailed route description for the FWC last night, and experienced a flutter of dread. It’s going to be a monster of a ride, and one which I have to some extent overlooked with my France sportives always on the horizon.
That said, I feel great. I’m sleeping and eating well this week, and my legs are popping after back-to-back rides on the weekend followed by a couple of days’ rest. AND I’ve hit my target sportive weight of 11 stone.
I’m definitely going to need to take enough food though – the first feed station isn’t until 52 miles in.
Tags: fredwhitton, weight
Posted in routes, sportives | 1 Comment »
