cycling Archives - Page 11 of 23

Stop and start

January 12, 2016January 12, 2016 by tejvan

It’s the time of the year when I would like to be impressing my readers with tales of daring winter rides through the biblical floods of South Oxfordshire or the frozen lanes of the Chilterns.

In previous years, I’ve told about epic homemade sportives like the “Hell of the B4135 and related minor roads” – mud, potholes and lonely winter roads, with the only companion the mileometer slowly clocking up the miles.

Fortunately or unfortunately, I have no epic tales to tell this winter. I’m more like the sickly boy at the back of the class who always has a note from his Mother to excuse him from games. I have had a few days of training in Sicily which was pretty good. But, mostly it’s been stop / start – a few days on, two weeks off. The worrying thing is I feel quite fine about it. I hope the article “Not everyone can be Eddy Merckx” isn’t a portent of things to come. The old competitive urge wearing away as I start to get used to pottering around the house in a pair of comfy slippers.

Taking your bike on the plane

January 7, 2017January 6, 2016 by tejvan

I’ve taken my bike on a plane a couple of times. It’s not the easiest process and it takes a bit of planning and motivation. In recent years, I’ve been flying with my bike more frequently as I’ve found the joy of cycling in places like the Pyranees, Sicily, Croatia and Portugal. If you love long steady climbs, you really need to fly out of the UK!

This is a post to share a few tips of taking your bike on a plane.

Cost of taking bike on plane

Warning taking your bike on a plane can cost more than the cost of your plane ticket! I travelled Easy Jet on the way out, and Monarch airways on way back.

Ryanair charge £50 / €50 for one way travel! £60 if you book at airport. That could be £120 for a return flight just for a bike box with a 20kg limit. (Ryanair – baggage charges) Ryanair – the airline which loves to annoy it’s customers!
However, if you take a bike bag, you might be able to get away with not taking a suitcase. I put my clothes in the bike bag – to help protect. It means I’m over the weight limit, but they never seem to weigh bike bags… But, you never know, so it’s a risk.
Easyjet charged £30 for a one way flight. (Easyjet)
Monarch airlines charged £30 for a one way flight
British Midland (BMI) charge a fee of £30 per journey if weighs less than 20kg. For over 20kg then you’re looking at a £60 surcharge per flight.
British Airways allow a bike to be taken for free if it doesn’t exceed your regular allowance.

Full list of bike carriage charges
Cycling weekly – rip off Britain bike charges

The other cost, is that you need to book a bigger taxi to transport it. Oxford taxi company charged an extra £5 to take a bike.

DHB Peaked Winter Cycling Cap

January 26, 2016January 1, 2016 by tejvan

My winter riding consists of a 10 mile hilly commute in all weathers and long training rides at the weekends, so I bought this cap hoping for something that would do a job in all kinds of weather. I often start my commute with a downhill section, so it takes me ages to warm up – for that reason I was a bit dubious when I saw that this hat is much more lightweight than the thermal/fleece caps I’ve used before on winter rides. Would it be warm enough?

In use, it’s proved pretty good right down to 4-5 degree temperatures. Below that, I stick a buff or thermal cap under it and still benefit from the windproofing and handy peak of the DHB cap.

On it’s own, this cap is on the large side for me – the phrase “one size fits all” is rarely true and while my head is small enough to save me money on helmets (I can buy the junior ones) it does mean that this cap is too loose to wear on it’s own. Under a helmet, with the cap set back on my head to prevent the peak coming too far over my face, it’s perfect.

The windproof panel covers the mid section of the scalp from front to back and does a good job keeping out both wind and light rain on long rides. That windproofing makes this cap surprisingly warm for its weight and it still breathes as well as I need it to. The peak is designed to be flipped down or up, depending on whether you’re keeping the driving rain out of your face while riding into a headwind or sitting up to enjoy the view. Once flipped, the peak stays either up or down until I flip it back, and now I’ve got the hang of positioning the cap just right under my helmet it gives me as much rain protection for my face as I need while still letting me see the road.

The lighter panels of mesh fabric over the ears are also warmer than they look and it’s only on the coldest days that I need an extra layer to keep my head warm. If you start your ride in cold or wet weather then warm up, these side panels can be folded up inside the cap to leave your ears uncovered.

Verdict – good fabric and a good, functional design for all weathers – but check that it fits you well before buying, especially if you ride without a helmet.

DHB Winter cap – £22

Knog blinder R70 – Review

November 1, 2016December 16, 2015 by tejvan

The Knog Blinder R70 is a rear LED light unit with integrated USB recharge, peak lumens of 70 and only weighing 50 grams. It is easy to attach and comes with three different length straps for the ability to fit to seat posts of different sizes.

This summer I spent a lot of time trying to get a satisfactory light for my time trial bike, which has a large circumference aero seat post. (I felt the choice was pretty limited. See: rear light for aero seat post) Many people advise a light which can be put under the saddle – but there I often have a water bottle or saddle bag. What I really wanted was an clip on rear light which would go around the seat post. But, because it is so large (34cm circumference) many lights didn’t fit.

When I say the new Knog light had an adaptation for aero seat post I asked a copy for review. Knog sent me a copy and I was happy to test.

Review

Firstly, it is quite similar to many other Knog lights that I have used in the past few years. I have both a Knog front light USB and a Knog 4V rear light. I have used them for other two years, and have had good experiences.

The only problem is that I broke the strap of the Knog 4V rear light trying to stretch it around an aero seat post.

Physiological testing

December 5, 2015 by tejvan

There was quite a buzz about Chris Froome’s physiological testing released this week. The general consensus seems to be – well it’s kind of what you would expect, it won’t prove anything either way – the doubters will still doubt, those who believe Froome is clean will certainly have nothing to change their mind.

Perhaps, though I do also remember in the bad old days of Lance Armstrong – people always used to say the same thing. It doesn’t matter what comes out – people have already made up their minds. But, ultimately, people did change their minds.

The final convincing proof that changed a nations mind.

It is quite likely Chris Froome will be challenging to win the Tour de France for the next couple of years, I hope the rather extreme manifestations of suspicion can fade away in future years. Releasing results of testing is perhaps one step.

Limits of physiological testing

As much as I’m aware of the importance of physiology, genetics and ‘natural talent’ the thing that appeals to me about cycling is the potential – perceived or real of seeing how far you can transcend your own personal efforts. Maybe I’ll explore this more in the future.

I’ll probably never get round to physiological testing because:

A) I’d rather spend the time training.
B) I don’t want to pay.
C) I’m not sure what you are supposed to do with the results. It’s a bit like my power meter, all very interesting, but I never really go through files to learn from it.
D) I don’t even know where you can get tested.
E) I don’t think it’s that interesting. A VO2 Max figure would be of mild curiosity value, a bit like your resting heart rate. But, ultimately, you race to see how fast you are.

Another article on doping

I wrote another article on doping, it got a bit long and, in parts, a bit philosophical so I put on another blog – Doping and cycling. The Tejvan blog is a collection of personal musings.

Chris Froome – The Climb Review

December 4, 2015 by tejvan

Review of Chris Froome – The Climb.

Last week I received a copy of Chris Froome – The Climb for my birthday, and have spent the past two weeks reading it. I have enjoyed the book, and have read at quite a quick pace. It is an unusual and quite intriguing cycling story. Gangly Kenyan born Brit learns to ride mountain bike with local Kenyan cyclists and despite multiple crashes, having to impersonate officials and coping with tropical diseases, manages to work his way into the European pro cycling scene.

Even if it stopped there, it would be quite an interesting story – a triumph of will and determination over adversity and an unlikely background for a pro cyclist. Of course, it doesn’t stop at just getting into a pro team, Froome has gone on to win the Tour de France twice, Olympic bronze and has come very close in the Vuelta twice. If all that wasn’t enough drama for a wannabe cyclist, Froome was fated to be the first winner of the Tour de France, since the very public expose of the greatest doping scandals in cycling (if not sport).

There was a time when cyclists were heroes, and any awkward questions were swept under the carpet. But, post-Lance – and anyone who has the temerity to win a race, is subject to the latent suspicion and, at times, hostility of those who are fed up with the unending doping scandals that have blighted the sport in recent decades. What might have been celebrated as a romantic story – “The guy who went from the African bush to the Champs Elysees podium” – has – to an extent – been overshadowed by questions of where did this guy come from? If he was this talented, why wasn’t he winning bigger and earlier?

A strong theme in the book is that Chris gets to tell his side of the story. How he started, how he became a better cyclist, how he missed out, why race performances often didn’t match training data. A cynic might say, it is a long attempt at self-justification, but I didn’t feel that. Everyone tells their story in a way to portray themselves in the best light. Especially given the sub-plots circulating around pro cycling, I wouldn’t have expected anything else.

African roots

In many ways the early chapters are amongst the strongest in the book. It is just a very different life – brought up feeding pet rabbits to your pet python, the only white boy training with Kenyan locals and learning to ply his trade on a mountain bike bought from a supermarket. This is boys own stuff, and makes the Otley CC Sunday run through Yorkshire Dales look like a walk in the park.

Winter training bike

February 18, 2017November 12, 2015 by tejvan

A seasoned cyclist will rarely buy a specific winter training bike. Instead, we are more likely to just ‘inherit’ a former racing bike.

A bike that was once our pride and joy – regularly cleaned, oiled and polished – fit, even, to be kept in our dining room – gets relegated to an all round winter work-horse. And yet as a winter training bike, we can spend more time using it, than we did when it was our first choice racing bike.

I bought a new road bike this year. A state of the art Trek Emonda. I even made the foolhardy claim, this will be the last bike I will ever buy. Never believe a cyclist when he says he’s bought his last bike, especially not a hill climber who has form when it comes to the murky world of expensive marginal gains.

But, the new Emonda relegated a very decent Trek Madone to 2nd in the pecking order. I was very tempted to sell on ebay. I’ve had a good experience selling stuff on ebay this summer – getting a good price for an old time trial bike. In fact, this summer was a very rare occurrence of selling as many bikes as purchasing. Breaking a long history of bicycle accumulation – proving I wasn’t completely in thrall to the old formula for bike numbers of N+1.

However, the problem with selling the Madone was manifold.

Bike technology is changing too fast. There was a time when Dura Ace 10 speed was an almost impossibly luxury – 10 speed on a cassette, how do they manage that! Now alas, 10 speed mechanical has fallen behind the times, and therefore depreciated in value – a sign of relentless progress (or should I say relentless marketing gimmicks which are irritatingly successful in taking hard earned cash from bicycle owners. I made a plea to bike manufacturers – Please don’t bring out 12 speed, but you know they will.)

How to increase average speed cycling?

November 22, 2015November 12, 2015 by tejvan

Readers Question: I’m a commuter/leisure cyclist and I’m looking to getting into race fitness for a few sportives next year. I’ve never raced before and would like to know the best training methods to start increasing my fitness and speed. When I go out for a ride it’s usually only 20 miles and I ride just under my threshold to average 17mph. What should I do to start seeing that go up? I’m also going to start longer routes. Looking forward to your insight.

I remember when I started getting into cycling (quite a few years ago, I forget the number) every ride was just below at threshold, and I was obsessed with average speed. It was in the days before heart rate monitors and power meters. The only thing you had on your bike was speed, time, distance and average speed. I remember my first ever ride with a speedometer. Menston to Burnsall and back – average speed 13.5mph. Every time I went out, I always tried to get higher average speeds for my usual routes. I remember being very happy when I averaged 18 mph for a 35 mile ride from Menston to Burnsall and back.

Even more on hill climbs

January 7, 2017October 28, 2015 by tejvan

There is a well known cliché in cycling ‘let your legs do the talking’. But, I sometime surprise myself how much there is to write about a short race up a hill.

In the run up to the national hill climb, I didn’t have much inspiration to write, but since the national is over, my mind is a stream of hill climb consciousness; and – for better or worse – it tends to get written down. To be honest, it’s a lot more fun writing about hill climbing than working on my next A level economics revision book. I should really be writing about UK fiscal policy, but hill climbs is a very welcome diversion.

Some random thoughts on hill climbs

Photo Dan Monaghan cadenceimages.co.uk/ @13images

Since Cycling Weekly’s relaunch earlier this year, there has been more of an effort to cover domestic racing, and coverage of the hill climb season has been good. I think the hill climbs get quite a lot of interest because:

It’s a bit quirky (polite way of saying it hill climbers are a bit nuts.)
Everyone can relate to riding up a hill. I think the Strava effect has made more people conscious of riding fast up hills; and perhaps there is a realisation that doing it for real in a race, is even more fun than relying on electronic virtual competition.
The race lends itself to really great photos (see also: Russellis photos) – it certainly makes for better photos than 100 riders covered up in aerohelmets, visors and silly socks riding up and down on dual carriegaways, being overtaken by lorries. Instead, in hill climbs, you can take photos of riders with cloth caps, faces that look like they have been tortured by a medieval rack, and, in some cases, well wearing silly socks.
The hill climbs comes at a quiet time of the year, and there is a huge wide range of different types of riders, with the results often hard to predict. In fact, Paddy Power claim there was as much betting on the national hill climb championship as a stage of the Tour de France. I like the amateur ethos of hill climbing – so the arrival of small time betting does feel a little strange, if not uncomfortable. (And I’m sorry to the 1.6% of you who put money on me. Still at 16/1…)

Not everyone can be Eddy Merckx

November 22, 2015October 26, 2015 by tejvan

They called Eddy Merckx ‘the cannibal’ for his insatiable appetite to win. They say Merckx was so prolific a winner that he caused a recession in cycling. His dominance so absolute, it became a race for second place and interest waned.

But, even the greatest champions eventually falter – a once effortless winning streak, rudely coming to a halt. The gradual, inevitable decline of physical and mental faculties, the inexorable rise of a new generation.

“There’s always somebody better than you are” – That’s one maxim to temper the pride of human life.

***

Two days after the 2012 national championship on the Rake, where I finished a disappointing 11th, I remember heading out for a 60 mile training ride, with a burning focus and determination to spend the next 12 months training and preparing for the national hill climb on the Stang. I hit the winter training with gusto, knocking out 1,000 mile months, despite a wet and cold winter. That intensity of purpose and commitment lasted all year, right up to that wet and windy day in North Yorkshire. At 36, and with long climbs relatively rare in the UK championship, there was a recurring thought that this could be a last chance saloon to win the national title.

After winning, you gain the confidence to try and retain the title. The single-minded purpose and commitment lasted throughout 2014 and 2015. If anything, I increased the intensity and volume of training, especially in 2014 where, with the help of Gordon Wright, I adopted an unusually scientific and methodical approach. But, despite the huge effort, it was not to be (4th and 6th). I don’t think I got any slower – others got quicker – and of course, different hills suit different breeds of riders.