It is a weekend of extraordinary British cycling achievements. First Alex Dowsett breaking the World Hour Record, then I learn that Dave Preece (and reader of this blog) has succeeded in cycling from Lands End to John O Groats on a Penny Farthing! It took Dave 15 days.
Yesterday Alex Dowsett broke the UCI World Hour Record setting 52.937km. It was a great achievement, and I really enjoyed watching the event on TV. It was impressive to watch the metronomic lap times and then the gradual winding it up as the hour progressed.
It seems like it will not be Alex Dowsett’s last effort either.
“So would he have another go? “I don’t see why I wouldn’t want to do it again sometime. I enjoyed it today. This is what cycling is about, for me, the noise of the crowd in the last 10 minutes was huge.”
Read more at Cycling Weekly
On June 6th Bradley Wiggins will be going for the record.
This weekend is the inaugural Tour de Yorkshire. I was lucky to be able to come up north and today I rode the last part of stage three. It is over roads which I have been cycling on for many years. They are also incredibly hilly, so hopefully it will be good training if nothing else!
Firstly, I cycled from Menston to Hebden Bridge – this is over Bingley Moor and the roads out of Keighley towards Denholme and Mixenden. It was 1,100m of climbing before you had done 30 miles; I suppose this is what you call a warm up. At the top of Cragg Vale, I joined the last half of Stage 3. Cragg Vale can claim to be the longest continual descent in England – it’s good fun even with a headwind. But, when you reach the bottom at – Mytholmroyd the stage gets really tough. I spent all day being grateful I had a 28 sprocket.
The first climb on the route was:
Cote de Hebden Bridge
(Though if you look on the OS map it is called ‘Cock Hill’) I suppose you can take your pick.
This is a good climb, which I like (though with a headwind, it’s a bit more of a pain). It is testing as you climb out of Hebden Bridge, but nothing silly; the climb then gets in to a steady rhythm all the way to the top. It’s quite exposed towards the top of the moor.
On the descent, tou get a good view towards the Worth Valley.
Haworth main street
A great place to take photos. This short cobbled climb is merely a foretaste of more hills to come. I enjoyed the short cobbled climb with a few local residents saying with great wit – ‘you’re a bit too early’
A couple of years ago, I received a copy of – ‘The Rules – The way of the cycling disciple‘ by Velominati. It gave me a lot of food for thought. I enjoyed reading it, and I also enjoyed critiquing it. The problem is that a part of me definitely aspires to join this elite group of cycling cool, but there are too many rules, where I am, alas, an abject failure. It leaves me only good for riding my time trial bike on a lone furlough, shamelessly exposing an ill fitting undergarment because I can’t get any arm warmers long enough to fit my stick like arms. I want to be in the club, but I’m a rebel without a cause. I do like the aesthetics of a bike, but I can’t quite bring myself to schedule a 500ml water stop at a petrol station, just because 500ml water bottles look cooler than 750ml water bottles. Do they really look better?
Yet, even in my critiques, there is a nagging suspicion they are correct, and if only I was a better person – I would aspire to all 91 rules.
Synopsis
Cycling is more than just a sport and means of transport, it can be a way of life, a club with rules of aesthetics, class and elegance. Two people can go out on a bike with different results; how do you approach the bicycle, how do you treat it? Is it a means to an end or is it an end in itself? The rules of cycling remind me, in a curious way of the Japanese tea ceremony. Anyone can drink tea, but to drink tea in the proper way with great awareness, dignity and elegance elevates a mundane experience into an opportunity for the joy of perfection.
The big problem I had with the book is that it immediately got me off on the wrong foot.
I bought a Zipp 404 wheelset in 2005. Ten years later I’m still using the 404 front wheel in most races. This is a personal record for long lasting time trial cycling technology. It was expensive at the time (£1,000 for tubular wheelset, but has turned out to be really good value (by time trial standards anyway).
I think they have offered an excellent combination of aerodynamic performance, strength and rigidity. I use the front Zipp 404 in most conditions. Only if it is exceptionally windy would I take it out and use a front wheel with out any deep section rim.
I have used the rear wheel a lot less because for time trials I nearly always use a disc wheel.
Today was the 2015 Jack Clements Memorial Little Mountain Time Trial organised by Beacon R.C. It was also the third round of the RTTC classic time trial series.
It is a 39 mile hilly time trial. The first loop is rolling with no major hill, but the second loop takes in two significant hills; it is not a pure climbers course, but it isn’t one for the rouleurs either – it’s a good blend of terrain offering a bit for most riders. It was good to see a big field with close to 150 riders entered. I was last to 3rd man off – no. 154.
Firstly, it was really hard to decide which race to do this weekend. Riding the Beacon meant missing my favourite race on the calender Bristol South Megahilly. It’s obviously a popular weekend for hilly time trials as there is the Teeside Mountain TT and Wrexham R.C. all on the same day.
Anyway I wanted to support the National series and the Beacon is always a great event. I did it back in 2013 and have done parts of the course in other events.
A review of different saddle bags I’ve used over the years. The number of saddle bags I have bought in my cycling career is bordering on the faintly ridiculous. This is only a small selection I’ve tried and used. I really don’t know what I do to saddle bags, but they never seem to last.
I think part of the problem with saddle bags is that no matter what size I get, I always end up stuffing more stuff than is sensible. My saddle bags end up bulging at the seems. In addition, I often try to fit them around Aero seat posts, which leads to straps getting frayed. Perhaps that is where I’m going wrong.
People often seem to get attracted to buy ‘small’ compact saddle bags because they look good. But, when I get small saddle bags, I tend to regret it because I can’t fit in what I need to. Or you can fit everything in, but you need to spend ages stuffing it in and then having to take everything out to get at something. I’m also not keen with having weight in my jersey pockets, I’d rather have everything in a saddle bag and leave the jersey pockets for food only.
The fine line between the car door and the SUV.
Where possible I try to look on the bright side of cycling. Look for the positives and avoid complaining about x, y and z. However, when cycling in America (more specifically, Jamaica / Forest Hills, Queens, New York) I always feel bad because it is hard to put a positive spin on it. Cycling in this part of the world is just tough. If you ever wondered why only 0.5% of journeys in America are by bicycle, just come and have a go yourself.
This is a cycle lane on 164th Street. It is part of a recent attempt to offer some form of infrastructure for cyclists. The problem is that if you ride in the middle of the cycle lane, you are at risk of being hit by an opening car door. Most New Yorkers do not expect cyclists on the roads, so you have to expect the worst. It means when I cycle on this kind of cycle lane, I’m hugging the left curb of the cycle lane. I’m riding just to the inside of the left white painted line. If you stray an inch over into the road, you risk getting beeped like crazy. If you have cycle in the middle of the lane you risk getting hit by car door. You feel there is about 6 inches of the whole road, where it’s kind of OK to cycle and hope for the best.
These cars are actually quite small by American standards. 50% of cars seem to be SUVs – which is understandable given the state of the roads. There are potholes galore. To be fair the winter in NY was really cold and tough, it means it’s a constant battle to repair the roads.
Not the most exciting post to get back into blogging, but you have to start somewhere.
When I got my new Trek Speed Concept it came with Shimano Dura Ace 9000 11 speed groupset. Because I have a Quark Elsa Power meter I have swapped them over, leaving a surplus Dura Ace Chainset.
Good looking four armed crankset
I currently have five different chain lubes on my shelf at the moment. I’m not sure why I have accumulated so many. But, it gives me something to review.
You will find GT-85 in many bike shops and is one of the most popular thin water-displacers. It is excellent as a water displacer and thin lubricant. It is easy to spray on and will prevent rust. After a wet ride, I will give a good spray and spin the chain, allowing water to come off. GT-85 is quite economical, a large 400ml can last quite a long time. However, because it is quite thin, it doesn’t give too much ‘lube’ to chains and as a result, if you rely on it to lube your chain, you can wear through chains quite quick.
It is best not to use this as a lube, but it is good to have around for other purposes.
GT-85 is one of the best sprays for brakes and cables – It helps resist rust, keeps things moving and won’t attract too much dirt. It doesn’t leave much of a residue.
Also, GT-85 makes an excellent way to clean and polish your frame, spray some on, and give a quick polish. You will be pleasantly surprised at how clean it may get. Also, if you do spray on the bike and components, it makes it easier to clean next time.
Great for cleaning, water displacing and using on components, but don’t rely on for overall lubrication.
GT-85 £3.49 (wiggle.co.uk)
I bought this from Reg Taylor when they recommended as a better chain lube than GT-85 (which I was using at the time). It is a bit denser and stays on the chain well, making it better for long-distance cycling. The added ingredient of Teflon helps to prevent the accumulation of dirt. You can also get this lubricant in non spray form. It is a good all-rounder, if you wanted to get just one chain lube TF2 would fit many of your needs.
I was using this over a wet winter in England, and to be honest, it required quite frequent reapplications. The chain on my commuting bike would often get dry and rusty – despite using chain. On training bike, the chain also ended up quite dry and a little noisy. I’ve seen people claim one lube can last 400 miles, I couldn’t verify this over winter. I would have been better off with a heavier ‘wet ride’ chainlube. On the positive side the chain remains clean and easy to handle.
It will be fine for commuting bike except during very wet winter months.