A Week On Wheels…

Mon 6th May Around Milton Keynes

I set off on a 50 mile ride around the perimeter of Milton Keynes on a route I have done before.  It is a very rural and hilly route.  It was a pleasant ride at a steady pace.  As Monday was a national holiday in celebration of ‘May Day’ there seemed to be plenty of other cyclists about celebrating the pleasant spring weather on their bikes.

I did encounter one of my fellow club members on a different mission at one stage and we rode together for about 10 miles before going our separate ways.

Tues 7th May Fast Ouse Valley

This was a fast ride around my ‘Ouse valley’ route as I was trying to ride my bike more than I have done recently so I had a quick 20 miles in the late morning.

Wed 8th May a.m Clophill Loop & A p.m. Ouse Valley Ride With Harry

I went for a ride with Steph from the cycle club around one of my favourite rides which Steph had seen on Strava so I introduced her to it.  She is a very strong rider who does many miles every week.

I should have seen the warning signs in that.  It was a very hard ride of just over 47 miles with no cafe stops but neither of us likes to stop anyway.  Just as well as there was actually nowhere to stop on the route.  I do it quite comfortably on my own with no stops but the increased speed would have made a cake and coffee interlude very welcome.  My legs ached from the start due to the increased riding I had been doing in the previous five days.  I managed to keep them turning to the end.. just.

This resulted in me revising my increased riding plan for a couple of days of recovery time before the Saturday ride.

Sat 11th May TMK Carlton

This turned into a very hard ride.  Firstly because I battled the 12 miles to the start of the ride solo  into a terrific head wind and secondly the ride itself was hard and fast pretty much from the start to the finish.  The final average speed on my Garmin was 16.9mph, and for the first 12 miles, on the way there, I only averaged around 14.5mph such was the strength of the wind.  All this despite the fact the published average speed for the ‘C’ Group should be 15/16mph.

The thing is that there are a few riders who should probably move up and be riding in the ‘B’ Group if they want to ride that fast.  They seem reluctant to that.  If they did it would help reduce the excessive numbers there are in the ‘C’ Group every week and the ride would be more comfortable for the regular riders in the group.

It wasn’t so bad because we were in a group and I made sure to keep away from the front, my legs were still aching from my exertions earlier in the week.   However some struggled because once again the group split in two.  Not because of some plan but due to natural selection because of the speed.

Sun 12th May, 27 Miles with Harry

This was  a pleasant ride for us around a local loop north of Olney.  A steady pace and we probably could have gone a bit faster but I don’t want to rush things.  He appears to be quite content so just sit behind me for now or maybe he just doesn’t like to come past?

The weather today, Monday,  is not good.  I had vaguely arranged a ride with Harry again tomorrow afternoon but I think it will be too wet according to the forecast.  I might get a longish ride in on Wednesday but the forecast for then isn’t good either.

TMK ‘C’ Ride To Turweston Airfield

This weeks ride was a bit different because it was an opportunity for any ‘D’ group riders who wanted to, to try out riding in the higher ‘C’ Group. The group was split into two from the start as the ‘try out’ section would obey a strict 15mph speed.  Although its the bottom end of the recommended 15/16mph average the ‘C’ group is supposed to maintain it seldom happens.

I went with the faster group but it was a comfortable steady ride only hampered and speed limited by the head wind for most of the way out.  It was also a pretty up and down profile all the way.  We also suffered two punctures on the outward ride.  When we finally reached the airfield the wind had really got up and the final road inside the airfield that runs parallel with the runway was not only its usual poorly surfaced self but also into a very strong 30mph headwind!

Click image for detailed ride stats..

Ooops.. Sorry forgot to put the link originally..

After a nice cup of coffee and a substantial piece of very fruity fruit cake we set off on the return leg.  Much better altogether as we now had a tailwind and it was also a shorter distance than the outward leg.  If you look at the ride stats you will see how the average speed crept up at nearly every five mile segment.  The final run in to Stony Stratford was a very fast but steady and controlled.

Lanzarote, April 2013.

17th April

After breakfast we walked north towards the deserted and undeveloped end of beach, very volcanic lava rocks but quiet and deserted.

We retraced our steps going south, past our original starting point and through to the more popular parts and beaches, bars etc.I took plenty of photos along the way and we had a couple of large beers in the sunshine, expensive, especially considering there was a free bar back at the hotel, but it was a nice shady outdoor bar and a sea view thrown in for good measure.

Back to hotel for lunch and it clouded over with even a few small spots of rain.

18th April

Walked south beyond our destination of yesterday, back to hotel for lunch and relaxed afternoon by the pool reading

19th April

Walked around town and back along the promenade…. and during our travels booked a hire car for tomorrow.

Some night-time photos of the hotel by way of an experiment for me with night photography

20th April

Collected hire car and headed  south to Playa Blanca.  had a wander around the market there and the harbour.  I loved the sound of the guy playing the South American Pipes..

And a spectacular looking crab trying to hide in the rocks at the end of the harbour wall.

Moved on up the west coast towards Timanfaya National Park but stopped en route at Salinas de Jubio salt beds and took some photos of waves that had come all the way across the Atlantic from the USA as we were now on the western side of the island

We stopped off again at El Golfo by the beach for a picnic and some photo opportunities.

Finally we reached Timanfaya (Fire Mountain) and spotted some camels waiting for passengers to take up the mountain.  This was the hottest point on the hottest day 39C (102F)

We drove on in a bit of a loop further up the west coast and then headed back to Costa Teguise across the middle of the island.

21st April

this morning we walked along the beach and into town once more but most shops were closed as it was Sunday, so we went back to hotel, collected swim gear and then went back to the beach for a swim to cool down.  Back to hotel for lunch and then more swimming and relaxing by the pool in the afternoon.

I left Jan sunbathing and I went for a walk that I had wanted to do from the first day. North up the coast along a dusty unmade road towards a little village on the hill top, which I found on arrival was called Los Anconas which was at the base of a headland.    The headland had been my objective all along.

  I had a bit of a wander round the village and then on from there over tracks and paths out to the headland itself and some great views back to the Costa Teguise.  I made my way back via a rocky path along the cliff tops initially but completed the loop back round to Los Anconas and home along the dust road.

A total of about 6 miles I think.  I was walking for just over two hours and I always reckon my average walking speed to be about 3 mph when I am estimating walk times.

A cooling swim in the pool when I got back was very welcome, but first I had to wash the dust off my feet and legs as I had been wearing my hiking sandals for the walk.

Whilst relaxing on the balcony outside our room I had a visit from this Collared Dove, we got pretty close.

22nd April

Walked to shops again, this time they were open so that was OK !!  money was able to be spent…

the rest of the day was a similar pattern to previous routines, lunch then R&R by the pool, reading in the shade for me and swimming with the odd cooling drinks from the bar in the afternoon.

It seems i didn’t take any photos today.. so I will slip these in of  a roof feature and the hotel pool, the ‘quiet’ one, from our balcony and a panorama of the beach taken from a small jetty with my iPhone.

23rd April

Woke and had breakfast, packed our bags ready for the return trip then had a wander along the beach for the final time.  Our room had to be vacated my 12noon so we put luggage in a storage room, had lunch and then onto the bus for Arecife Airport and the flight home.

A nice relaxing holiday doing just what we wanted with nice weather, not a lot of activities to do but we didn’t want a lot anyway.  I got through four books on my Kindle.  It made a change to fly somewhere and get some winter sun after 10 or 12 years of caravanning holidays.  Caravanning is better in the summer with the outdoor life and fresh air.  Still plenty more of those to come yet though I hope but we may have got a taste for winter sun now..

The pictures here are just a selection from the photos I will eventually put on my photography blog.  All of these and many more will appear there when they are finally prepared in a few days time.  I have selected about 90 pictures to go there from the 300 plus that I took on the trip.  I will let you know here when they are posted.

Team MK Ride, Castle Ashby

This weeks ride was to Castle Ashby, just into Northamptonshire and only about 6 miles from my home.  However, club rides being what they are its never that simple.

Adrian the ride leader had planned a route out via Olney and then looping round  via Harrold, Bozeat and Grendon to the The Buttery at Castle Ashby courtyard for coffee and cake.  The return to Stony Stratford was via a very hilly route starting immediately with a climb up Whiston Hill and then over the top to Whiston village.  On from there via the climb to Cogenhoe ( Pronounced ‘Cookner’ ! ) Through to Little and Great Houghton and the climb there, on to Preston Deanery and Quinton and the short climb up to Salcey Forest and then back via Hanslope to Stony Stratford.  Plenty of ups and downs on that little bit too.

Click Image For Ride Data

I however elected not to have to get up and out so early and to ride towards group as they headed for Olney to save riding to the start and then back again.  It was much cooler day than my last ride when it was shorts and short sleeved shirt weather.  It was back to tights and long sleeved shirt.  I should however have dressed even warmer I think.  Everyone else seemed to have full finger gloves and not my half finger track mitts, jackets and shoe covers!  It was an inducement for me to ride harder though I guess, just to keep warm.

The Buttery is only very small inside and so twenty odd cyclists descending on it out of the blue filled it to overflowing.  Also in the process disturbing all the incumbent diners from their quite morning coffee and chat I am sure.  Under normal circumstances we would have sat outside in the sunshine if the weather had cooperated.

We did encounter the threatened light rain on the return ride.  I left the ride at Hanslope on the way back and headed home to Olney solo again.  Although I was now heading into the wind, the rain stopped and the sun came out for a while and it even began to feel a bit warm for a while.

All in all it was a good ride for me.  I felt a lot better than I expected to after another ten days off the bike apart from one short ride in the week.  I coped with the hills quite well I thought.

But…. having recently joined up to Strava and started to log my rides on there and ‘following’ a few people from the club It seems I am doing about a quarter of the miles a week that they are.  A bigger and better effort is obviously required on my behalf I think and I don’t really have any excuses not too given that I don’t have to go to work and have everyday available for riding.

Here is what my Strava page for the ride looks like.. click on this image for the  full Strava information for the various segments of the ride.  I don’t fully understand quite how it all works myself yet but I am getting there slowly with all the gizmo’s on it.

Click Image For Ride Data

TMK Ride, Bluebells, Barns And F1

The destination for this weeks Team MK ride was to be the Bluebell Cafe at Marsworth, next to the Tring reservoirs in Hertfordshire.  However, all things can change as you will read later.

Click Image For Ride Data

There were about 30 riders assembled ready for the start of the ‘C Group’ ride at the newly appointed start time of 9:00am.  It was decided quite soon, because of the numbers to divide the group into two.  I hesitated in my decision about which group to go into.  I then saw that most of those with similar abilities to me were in the second group so I opted for that one.  However it wasn’t many miles later before that group also naturally split in two.  This time I was in the faster group.

The weather was bright and sunny at the start of the ride but about an hour into the ride it came over very black and got quite cold.  It looked as though the rain that was forecast for around 1:00 pm was arriving early.  However we rode through that, without any rain and into brighter but now sunless skies.

We decided amongst ourselves that we would prefer to go to the Barn Cafe, just up the road from the Bluebell.  In my opinion and obviously that of others in the group to be a better cafe.  It is more reasonably priced, quicker service and plenty of freshly baked cakes.

It was a tough ride out into the south west wind, but that was compensated for on return leg.  Its quite a hilly ride over rolling countryside, not a lot of flat.  The return ride took us past the hotel owned or at least part owned I heard by the Red Bull Racing F1 racing driver, Mark Webber, The Stag at Mentmore.  He however was otherwise occupied out in China qualifying for the Grand Prix at the time.  It didn’t turn out to be a very good weekend for him as it happens.    He had problems with qualifying and in the race itself.

Our ride was fortunately problem free however and the ride back was quite fast.  The earlier start meant that I got home at a slightly more reasonable time.  The rain forecast for 1pm arrived almost dead on schedule but by then I was sitting indoors tucking into a bacon sandwich and feeling that pleasant ache in my legs you get from having performed some vigorous exercise.  At the same time watching the replay on TV of the qualifying rounds of the Chinese Grand Prix and the luckless Mr Webber.  I felt sorry for him because I know both he and I wanted him to get revenge over his team mate, Sebastian Vettel, for the way he did the dirty on him in the previous Grand Prix.

Lighter, Brighter Days And Rides…

On a whim I decided on a bike ride this afternoon.  The possibility of rain that was suggested by the Met office didn’t materialise and it was about 2pm.  I had time for a couple of hours riding so I got myself ready and off I went.

It doesn’t take quite so long to get ready this week as it did last week with the slightly improved weather we are having.  Fewer and lighter clothes makes the operation far less of a chore, a) to find them and b) to get them on.  I dispensed with the casquette under my helmet, I had fingerless track mitts on instead of full gloves, no gilet and no tubular neck warmer.  In a matter of minutes I was dressed, bottled filled with water and bike out ready for the off.  Spontaneity is king!

When I set off I wasn’t really sure exactly what my route would be as I wasn’t sure how I would be feeling.  As it turned out I must have been feeling pretty good because I was riding quite hard from the start.  Not flat out, just pushing myself all the time but not to the limit.  This resulted in my fastest average speed of the year so far and route wasn’t that easy with a few hills interspersed along the way and a strongish head wind for most of the first 12 miles.

My route was the longest option that I had in mind when I set off, I didn’t take any short cut options.  I went out on loop from home with the furthest point of the loop being around Stagsden, just outside of Bedford.  It made a change from my usual Ouse Valley rides.

Click the map for detailed ride stats

Now the weather is hopefully going to be getting better I can take some longer options in all directions.  I need to get some miles in to shed the weight I seem to have gained over the winter period of reduced activity.  I seem to have put on about 12 lbs. since the end of summer last year.  I now weigh in at 11st 6lbs, (160lbs) against the 10st 8lbs, (152lbs) I was then.

Its a similar situation to how things were last year except last spring I was a couple of pounds heavier than now.  All this information is stored in my Garmin data.  I don’t know where the extra weight is hiding because the clothes the lightweight me was wearing then I am wearing now and they are not tight?

The weight disappeared last year naturally by just riding my bike, I didn’t make any dietary changes, so I am expecting the same to happen again.

Team MK Ride, Canons Ashby

Yesterday I went on the Team MK ride to Canons Ashby.  It was at the new earlier start time of 9am.  This was instigated to ease congestion around Cofferidge Close in Stony Stratford (See the header picture, taken some time ago before cycling became more popular).  At the later time there were a lot of pedestrians walking through the meeting point as they go from the car park and the small supermarket back out into the High Street for their Saturday morning shopping.  I think we were beginning to get in their way a bit with the recently increased popularity of bike riding generally and our club rides in particular.  This was a good thing causing a bad thing.

I think the majority of riders were aware of the new start time.  I know that every time I looked at club website recently there were reminders of the new start time.  However in this day and age there are still quite a few people who don’t have use of the internet or even if they do they don’t browse it as avidly as some might !  In fact I have since heard that at least a couple of people were surprised to find nobody there at 9:30.

I am guessing there were about 25′ish people on the ride which was well led at a steady pace by Paul.   If the ride is at a steady pace then it becomes a much easier ride.  Much better than rushing off and dropping people and then have to slow down or even stop and wait for them to catch up, only to speed off again as soon as they do and drop them again on the first slight incline.  It becomes a very staccato affair and not a relaxed ride at all.  The average speed is always around the same regardless of the style.  It all depends on the leader as to how the ride is conducted.

The ride was to the National Trust property at Canons Ashby Priory in Northamptonshire.  It is a pleasant ride through rolling Northamptonshire countryside, not a lot of flat roads but nothing too taxing either.It was a far more pleasant day compared to recent times.  It was still a bit cool to start with mainly due to the earlier start time.  However as the sun got up you could actually feel some warmth from it for a change.  It was just as well the weather was better as we were able to sit outside, there is more room there.  I think we would have pretty much filled up the interior.

‘The bikes parked at Canons Ashby’

(I think they are plant display stands rather bike racks !!)

The return ride completed the loop and it was a well controlled finish to the ride as well.  The usual break up towards the end as people try to get rid of any surplus energy they feel they might have didn’t happen and the group stayed together to the end.

Click this image for detailed ride stats

Felt Unlocked And Unleashed…

Today the Felt bike emerged from its winter hibernation as we are now on ‘British Summer Time’, well, we are so far as the clocks are concerned but there was still evidence of snow laying around on my ride this afternoon.  Summer still seems a long way off yet, its just been too cold for the last of the snow to melt.

Before I could ride though there were chores to be attended to this morning and this entailed an exciting shopping trip to buy a new float valve for the bathroom toilet.  This was combined somehow with a visit to a supermarket to restock after the weekend and the obligatory trip to a garden centre for Mrs G.

The new float valve was fairly soon fitted with no complications which was a bonus.  After this I went to unlock the Felt from its secure storage point in the garage and show it some daylight while I carried out some preparatory work. The Continental 4000S tyres were inflated to 110psi, chain and derailleur gears were given a spray of lube and I left that to soak in while I had some lunch.  After lunch the Sky Plus box was set to record todays stage of the Tour of the Basque country and I got myself ready to go.

Felt, poised and ready to be unleashed !

I set off on my 25 mile version of the ride around the local stretch of the Ouse Valley, the hillier version.  It did feel good to be back on the Felt, It felt so light and responsive.  So light in fact that a couple of times a cross wind caught me a bit unexpectedly, but nothing major, just different.  As I said earlier, there was still quite a bit of snow laying around in shady parts.  Also the wind was a lot stronger than I had anticipated on the west to east stretches.

Its been about 12 days since my last last ride which I was quite surprised to discover, I didn’t think it had been that long.  So that would explain the ache in my legs as I sit here typing.  Hopefully rides will become more frequent again now.  That a phrase I seem to have used a lot lately!

Remnants Of Snow Melting

After the ride it was time to relax and watch others suffer in the bike race while I cooled down.  The advantage of recording races is that I can fast forward through the adverts and some of the less interesting parts of the racing and I don’t have to listen to the commenters waffling to fill time while there is nothing to say.  I would rather they just kept quiet and just enjoy the scenery as the Basque country between France and Spain has some very nice scenery to offer.  Not high mountains like the Alps but some decent climbs none the less.  Unfortunately it can also be quite wet there and it has a bit of a reputation for rain at this time of year, but thats what makes the greenery so green.  A bit like Ireland I guess its all the rain that puts the emerald in the ‘Emerald Isle’.