I was riding in on a drizzly Monday morning when somebody opened their passenger-side door into my right quad. It happened in a split-second, and I landed in a heap in the gutter, my bike likewise. People asked me whether I flew into a rage at the passenger – I didn’t, the pain and shock made me dazed and docile. The passenger, driver, and various bystanders huddled around me for a minute or so, then, satisfied that I would live through it, got back to their Monday mornings. I continued the commute powered by my left leg only.

It hurt quite a lot. I took Tuesday off at home to ice it and try and bring the swelling down. My main worry of course was that the injury would affect my preparation for the Puncheur, but in fact I rode my bike home gingerly Wednesday night, and experienced only a slight loss of power on a long ride on Sunday. I limped painfully for a few days, though. The bruising spread around my whole upper thigh and down to my knee. Even two weeks on, I still get woken up by the discomfort in the morning.

Mellow yellow, a few days after...

Looped figures are relevant splits.

These are my splits from last Thursday’s Richmond Park workout. Lap 1 was clockwise (the ‘hill’ route), Lap 2 counter-clockwise, with a 3-minute recovery in between. If it hadn’t been so cold I would have recovered for longer!

The laps were tough, and not made any easier by a chilly head-wind. I also didn’t feel that great either. Because of the way my HRM occasionally malfunctions, I don’t know whether the highs of 184 and 193 are accurate – but I think they are, since they happened on both laps. I had a feeling of being half-strangulated from the effort and the cold air.

I have Jonny’s 3-lap record of 56 mins to beat…

• 3-lap challenge

The Ride Journal screengrab

Sites like The Ride Journal make me want to redesign this one. Nice work guys.

I made only 5 commute legs last week, but on every single one I got drenched. Standing at my side gate on Thursday evening, fumbling with a set of keys, I turned to look at the rain drizzling around a street lamp, and recalled Blade Runner.

Via @datavis.

cyclepassion.com - I'm so not into you.

For a company producing calendars and posters of scantily-clad female cyclists, Cycle Passion’s website certainly did a good job of pouring cold water over my initial excitement. These guys need a redesign bad.

• Website hall of fame / shame in the ‘web’ category

I’m liking the easy-living gastro-singlespeed NYC vibe of the Pedaling video series. Great design and production too. Discovered via Dave Zabriskie’s Twitter.

Riding last Sunday’s loop – which I can see becoming a mid-week staple – in reverse took me over Toy’s Hill the same way I rode it in the Reigate sportive last year. From bottom to top it’s a 10-12 minute climb, but a Box Hill-style gradual ascent unlike the harsh gradient on the southern side. I prefer it this way round, because there are at least 2 other chevron spikes on this route (including this little baby in the hills west of Biggin Hill) so there’s no shortage of opportunities to get out of the saddle.

After a weekend off (wedding) I’m planning another mid-weeker this Wednesday, followed by a longer one on Sunday, and possibly a bit of speed-work on Richmond Park the following Weds to tune me up for the Puncheur.

Having achieved my January goal (I rode about 29 hours / 17 days, compared to Jan 09, when I rode 25 hours / 15 days), I’m starting to feel a return of the legs. Yesterday I did 3 hours, mainly brisk, on a hilly circuit that took in Toys Hill and a handful of other spikes. My heart rate graph for the ride revealed an average of 144 bpm, and a max of 169 bpm, very similar to what I recorded on Jan 17, although I felt like I was riding smoother and stronger over tougher terrain. I’m considering doing the same route in reverse on Wednesday, but just pushing it a fraction harder.

But man, the conditions sucked. 1 hour of drizzle, followed by freezing fog and visibility down to 70 metres, and a layer of slush that turned to mud on sheltered roads. Roll on Spring time.

Clearly ridiculous - or is it?

Apparently Steve Jobs was annoyed when his Garmin malfunctioned on a lunchtime hike; on returning to the office, he got his boys onto some R&D for a new Apple bike computer, nickname: Colossus.

Via Velodramatic.