Hill Racing

Back on the road for the homeward journey and I had promised myself that I would take it easy after my exertions this morning.

I was taking it easy when I out paced the first competitor and a bus stopping at its next stop allowed me to pull away from the second competitor so I hardly used any extra energy at all in that race. The final race of the evening, however, was to be a killer.

The road route is a bit of a bastard as homeward legs go in so far as it has a number of wee hills to overcome on the way. The last two always seem to strip me of all remaining energy and I generally arrive home gasping for breath and looking like a beetroot. It was unfortunate, therefore, that the final race of the evening elected to take place just after the penultimate hill and right before the final hill.

Pulling up to the traffic lights before the final hill, I spotted my last combatant up ahead of me. He was fully kitted out with the required spandex outfit, neon yellow jacket, pannier bag, the full monty - this guy was a hard core commuter. I should have considered many things as I pulled up at those lights. I should have considered that I was already tired from my morning cycle and that the ride home had taken more effort than I had anticipated. I should have considered that I was almost home and that it probably wasn't worth busting a gut trying to beat this guy when I had to cycle in the rest of the week. I should have considered that my bike wasn't quite running at its optimum with squeaky brakes and a dodgy front light. I should have considered all of those things, but when those lights changed to green all I could think about was my race tactics and impending victory.

As he pulled away from the lights he looked back and saw me on his back wheel. Immediately he stood up on his pedals and started cranking away to try and open up the lead but I had enough in the tank to up the spin rate and stay close to him. We hammered around the mini roundabout and then started the final climb with me in prime position, tucked up behind him and enjoying the way I was controlling the race. The gradient increased and that's when I made my move. Dropping down a gear and accelerating up the hill, I didn't dare look across to him as I whizzed past. I really thought I'd gone too early as I hit the steeper gradient but stubborn pride forced my legs to continue to piston away and power me up the slope. I was absolutely exhausted by the time I'd made the top of the road but when I sneaked a wee peek behind, my former combatant was still negotiating the hill, victory was mine!

Weekly Total: 22.09miles

Back to Work

Its back to the Daily Grind today and I decided to take the canal route in to work this morning.

I spent the ride contemplating the pros and cons of riding the road route and the canal route and came up with the following:

Road Route:
Pros are that it is faster, cleaner and has lots of opportunities for Commuter Racing. The cons are that there are loads of traffic lights which means lots of stopping and starting and lots of angry drivers trying to knock you off the road (slight exaggeration).

Canal Route
It's traffic free and has fewer stops along the way, this means that I get to really get a strong spin going and push myself hard. Its also pretty interesting viewing along the way, from dodging deer and foxes to avoiding the local neds and their banter. Cons are that its messier and slower than the road. There is very few opportunities to race anyone too, which means you're reliant on your own determination to push yourself harder, something I've already admitting to being lacking in.

So if I'm wanting to get the ride over quickly and easily, the road is best, but if I want to push myself and don't mind getting a little dirty, the canal route beckons.

Weekly Distance: 11.54miles

Pitifull Stats, Brilliant Week

While the weekly stats for cycling this week are absolutely atrocious, my snowboarding stats are a little more impressive after I managed to blag a second day on the slopes last week (my thanks to The Plumber for driving me there and for leading the assault on the Forbidden Powder Field):

Snowboarding Stats:
No. Of Days Boarding: 2
Approx depth of powder (both days): 16 inches
Size of the grin on my face: 1 metre wide

Cycling Stats:
weekly total: 21.07miles
max speed: 26.3mph
Total distance: 275.0miles

Powder Days

What an amazing day.

Spent yesterday on the slopes of the Cairngorms enjoying the very best and worst of Scottish weather while snowboarding with my mates.

Vicious winds, total lack of visibility, -25deg wind chill and glorious knee deep powder and gorgeous sunshine all played their part in creating this incredible day and my sincere thanks go out to Hippo, Cris, Martie, Frog, Neil and Des for keeping up the banter, leading the way through the rock fields and charging alongside me through the powder.

Who says the Scottish snow scene is dying?

Macho Man

Special mention to my cycling amigo, Cris.

The man has cycled to his work every day for the past 9 days straight (yes, he had to work at the weekend) and has endured all the weather conditions that I have described here.

He's the man, I'm the wuss.

:o)

Snow

Woke up to find the street was a complete whiteout, which put an end to my thoughts of riding in to work this morning, but bodes well for the snowboard trip up North that we are planning for tomorrow.

Scottish Hotch Potch

Take an icy cold head wind, some hail, some snow, a muddy canal path and add a touch of afternoon sun and you end up with a remarkably entertaining (if bitingly cold) cycle home.

Weekly Total: 21.07miles

Well Oiled Machine

It was snowing when I left the house this morning. Nothing too heavy, just delicate, floaty flakes of snow gently drifting to the ground. Nothing was settling, but it was still pretty magical to be cycling in a snow shower...

..until you pick up a bit of speed and those wee tiny flakes of ice drift right into your eyes causing you to blink constantly and therefore almost hit the back of a bus!! I think I'll wear some goggles tomorrow.

Anyway, I'd spent the best part of 2 hours cleaning and oiling my bike on Saturday. It was pretty good fun and was the first time I've attempted to fix badly indexed gears. Fear of damaging the bike has always held me back from attempting such operations before, but with the help of Jim Langley and a couple of energetic kids spinning the cranks for me, we soon had the bike running sweetly.

Weekly Distance: 9.52miles

Home Sweet Home

After watching the weather turn pretty nasty through the course of the afternoon, I was fairly proud of myself when I made the decision to attempt the cycle home and not seek refuge on the warm, welcoming train.

As it happens, the wind died down and I was able to cycle home without any great cause for concern. I feel like I earned that end-of-the-week beer or three tonight though, my legs are definitely letting me know that they didn't agree with my choice of cycle route this morning.

Weekly Total: 64.52miles
Overall Total: 253.0miles
Max Speed: 32.7mph

Slow and Sticky

30mph Westerly winds made me reconsider my route in to work this morning and I elected to try the canal path in the hope that the various turns and trees would protect me from the wind (Great Western Road would have been just a big wide wind tunnel).

Unfortunately it only provided marginal shelter but, because it was still muddy from the overnight rain, added the extra element of sticky terrain to my already energy-sapping experience.

Memo to self: cycling in mud is very different from cycling on tarmac.

Weekly Total: 53.99miles

Easter Bunny

Guess I need to learn how to bunny hop then. Panier bag or no panier bag, I need to be able to lift the bike over kerbs at speed otherwise.......

....otherwise the back wheel is liable to slam into the kerbside (just like a sack of potatoes), resulting in a slow and annoying puncture that I kept trying to ignore until approx 2 miles further down the road when I finally accepted my fate and pulled over to change the inner tube.

Managed to make it home though, another 10miles added to the total.

Weekly Total: 42.44miles

Oh, What a Beautiful Morning

What an amazing morning to be on the road. Glorious sunshine, a gentle chill in the air, no wind and good banter along the road - a perfect start to a quite average Thursday.

Felt good on the bike and there seem to be more cyclists on the road as the good weather starts to coax them out. More cyclists mean more races and by the time I'd got in to work this morning my scores were 'Won - 1 | Lost - 1 | Bike Chat at Traffic Lights - 1'.

Weekly Distance: 31.9miles

Spinning in the rain

I left work in a foul mood this evening, probably a sympton of holiday blues?

Anyway, I climbed on the bike, cursing the weather as it started to rain and began the cycle home. 45 mins later, I was dripping wet and the foul mood was washed away. A lovely way to clear your head.

Weekly total: 21.32miles

Monkey Magic

OK, I've been away visiting family for the past couple of days (half term) and after seeing the way the inhabitants of the Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre go about their daily business, I feel I have learnt loads of new social skills that will see me quickly rise to the top of the pecking order at work.

After a good relaxing few days away, it was a lovely to return to the saddle with no wind, no rain and only marginally freezing temperatures to contend with.

Weekly Distance: 10.78miles

End of Week stats

A wet finish to the week, I can only recommend the waterproof jacket and trousers that I was sensible enough to purchase last year.

Anyway, a disappointing week over all, but at least its another 40 miles onto the overall score.

Weekly Total: 42.18miles
Overall Distance: 188.4miles
Max Speed: 29.4mph

Guess who's back?

As promised (to myself) I was back on the bike this morning and eager to put myself through a bit of effort to try and redeem my lazy week.

It was pretty chilly when I started off, but I'd told myself that this was to be a record breaking run so I soon forgot the cold as my legs started to complain about the pace I was setting. The clock was against me but I'd been sitting on a train for 3 days and there was no way I was going to take this one easy.

The result?

A new record has been set: 40mins 37secs

And it's Friday! Bonus.

No I didn't. Pathetic, aren't I?

Weather woe

I was fully clothed in my cycling gear, I was even backing the bike out of the shed when I made the decision!! Due to excessive wind and rain, I elected to leave the bike at home and take the train into work this morning. Now does that sound like a lame excuse to you?

It does to me.

Excuses excuses

In my defence, I only get 5mins to make the decision and its difficult to guage the weather at 6am. It doesn't help when you oversleep by 10mins. That being said, I am disappointed with myself for not cycling in this morning, it was only drizzle, easily surmountable and now I'm consigned to another day on the trains.

Damn.

Revenge is sweet

I don't care what you've been told before, I'm here to tell you that revenge is something that can most definitely elate you and fulfil your world (or at least your cycle ride home). You remember Mr Green-Leggings? Well, he tried it again today and, as before, the only thing I knew about it was when I heard him downshift behind me and then he started cranking past me.

It took me a second to see through his cunning disguise (he was wearing green combats this time, not the green leggings he wore the last time) but I quickly dropped to my bottom gear and was up out of the saddle and pushing hard to get after him. As my speed built up, I was soon on his rear wheel and had a wide smug grin on my face as I realised he had no idea I was there (one benefit of regreasing the gears at the weekend). He threw out an arm to indicate that he was taking a left turn and it was only then that he saw me behind him, just as I found that last breath of energy and powered past him on the right hand side. He was beaten and his look of dejection and acceptance was all I needed to push me to accelerate through the next set of lights, my former combatant was nowhere to be seen.

So much for taking it easy.

Weekly Total: 26.3miles

Taking it easy

A nice easy start to the week, chilly but dry and very refreshing. Just kept it at a relaxed spin to warm up the legs in preperation for the days ahead.

Weekly Total: 10.54miles

The weekend starts here

What a way to start your Friday night, a 50min adventure involving heavy rain, a strong head wind and a stunt driver behind the wheel of a juggernaut.

The weather wasn't exactly friendly, neither was the juggernaut driver (I gave way in the end) but it was a good way to wake you up for the weekend.

I'm pleased with the stats this week, I'll see if my legs can handle 5 days of cycling next week.

Weekly Total: 82.53miles
Overall Total: 146.2miles
Max Speed: 32.9mph

Glasgow Smile

It was a good cycle in this morning made even more enjoyable by an interesting experience while stopped at one of the many traffic lights along Great Western Road.

I pulled up at the red light (I'm consciously trying to be a good road user and NOT jump the lights) and sat back up in the saddle to catch my breath, pretty knackered by my morning's exertions so far. It was only then that I noticed that the car I'd pulled up alongside was a white Fiesta and filled with four grinning apes, all who seemed to be looking in my direction.

It was with some trepidation, therefore, I watched as a large chubby hand (with obligatory tattoo in between the thumb and forefinger) began to furiously wind down the passenger window. A large grinning face was then poked through the window and a loud booming voice then offered up its challenge.

"D'ye want a cup of coffee, son?" growled the ape, the rest of the passengers all echoing his beaming grin, "it looks a bit cold oot there".

I thanked the ape for his generosity and took the small thermos cup he held in his monstrous digits. A quick slug of the coffee (quite tasty actually), some quick banter lamenting the lack of cup holder on the particular bike that I was riding and a "cheerio, son" from the ape and we were all off moving again as the traffic light changed to green.

I love Glasgow.

Weekly Total: 72.25miles

Trance

The miles just seemed to melt away tonight, I felt like I just got on the bike and suddenly I was home. No, I didn't catch a taxi by accident, but I did seem to switch off and just kept pedalling until I was home.

Weekly Total: 63.55miles

Thursday

It was a good ride in this morning, bit damp but nothing too bad and it looks like it might turn out to be a beautiful day.

The only couple of concerns I had were when I rode over a glass bottle in exactly the same street as I got my puncture the other night and also that I'd forgotten to recharge my bike light so I might not have enough battery left to get home (safely).

All part of the fun though, and I feel miles better for having had a day out of the saddle.

Weekly Total: 52.99miles

*yawn*

Catching the train is boring.

Picked up a new inner tube from Halfords at lunchtime so should be back on the bike tomorrow. Also going to order a bulk pack of tubes from Wiggle so that I am covered for the next few punctures.

Flattened

I managed to pick up a nasty flat tyre on the way home tonight.

I pulled over to the side of the road and got out the tyre levers and the replacement inner tube that I always carry with me (super organised, eh?) and quickly removed the punctured tube and then carefully checked the tyre to make sure that whatever caused the puncture wasn't going to cause me any further problems. I was shocked to find a 1 inch nail buried deep into the rubber, obviously picked up from the building site that I'd just cycled past.

So the replacement tube is unwrapped, I threaded the valve through the rim of the tyre and carefully lever the tyre back on to the rim. Then, with my puny roadside pump, I begin the arduous and ungainly task of pumping up the new tube. After what seemed like ages I decided that there was enough air in the tyre to allow me to get home and started to screw the dust cap back on the valve. That was when I noticed that the valve appeared to be leaking air. So much for being bloody organised.

I did spend the next ten minutes trying to work out why the valve was leaking, but eventually gave up and decided to make a temporary seal with a large globule of spit and the dust cap from the busted tube. It seemed to work, although the tyre was still extremely soft and made riding on the bike feel like I was bouncing on a sofa (quite comfy, but it made the bike feel like it was going to wash out whenever I turned around a corner). I managed to limp the last 3 miles home in record time (about 30 mins) and then decided to get stuck straight in and replace the faulty tube with a spare (previously repaired) tube I had lying about in my shed. Another bash at the tyre levers, more fiddling with the inner tube, more careful replacement of the tyre and some frantic action with the foot pump soon saw my tyre fully inflated and looking good to go. That is until I realised that this tube was also leaking air, but from a second puncture that I must have missed on my previous repair. At that point I gave up.

I'll catch the train in to work tomorrow and buy myself a couple of brand new inner tubes and start afresh on Thursday.

Time for a beer or two.

Weekly Total: 42.40miles

Corporate Bullshit

So a beautiful cycle in this morning has been destroyed by the swathe of corporate bullshit that I now find myself swimming through.

There is only one shower available in the office block that I work in and that is located in the secure access area where we keep all our servers. I already have access to that area as part of my current job but that access has now been revoked. None of my other colleagues have had their access taken away, so I am assuming that the decision has been made because I was using the shower facilities over there (permission for which I requested directly from the Operations manager).

I have yet to receive any formal notification of this change in access levels, as usual the company I work for continue to find new and interesting ways to completely demoralise their staff.

Weekly Total: 31.82miles