It's a fantasy - Standings after the prologue

With both Cancellara and Wiggins in our teams, Alan and I are leading the standings, but tomorrow is a completely different stage and anything could happen. Good luck everyone.

It's a fantasy

So far there's just three of us taking part in the Fantasy League, Toby, Parky and me. Still time to enter, and it'll make the tour just that extra bit more interesting.

Time on my hands

TDF starts on Saturday if you didn't know, let's make it a little more interesting with aa fantasy TDF league. I've signed up - it's free, and created a league called SWRC TDF (original hey). Go to http://www.rcukfantasytourdefrance.com/ and after choosing your team enter our League, pin code is 266.

And if you win overall you win a new shiny Spesh Tarmac Comp.

Good luck!

Tuesday othg - the exciting incident!

My first ride on the road bike since February, so I was a little bit excited to begin with. But, after we'd had tea in a field at Four Elms, we saw a huge shed with smoke pouring from it. Dave and I rang the doorbell and shouted, but there seemed to be no one around. Dave called the fire brigade and in the 10 minutes it took for them to arrive, it became a raging fire!!! It was sooooo exciting!! I for one will not be able to sleep tonight. I can't wait to see what is in store for next Tuesday's ride ;))

Graeme Obree: Hand-building the fastest bicycle in the world

Graeme Obree: Hand-building the fastest bicycle in the world from Humans Invent on Vimeo.

Coombe Bottom to Horseblock...

Round Two

Much easier this time, but look at the state of the road!

Guess who?

Anyone recognise this character? Luckily for us, cycling kit has improved over the years. Feel free to post any of your cycling fashion disasters.

Thinking of getting a Tattoo

http://www.flickr.com/photos/93537824@N00/5950401843/

Pyrenees Trip...

Photos and Videos 21st May... Soulor and Aubisque 23 May 2012 Tourmalet 24 May 2012 Gavarnie

PM 25 (A11) + AM 50 (A1) x 102 = 169.5

VTTA '25' - Four-went-ways (All Pics - David Jones)

A double header that I did last year on the same two courses with pretty much the same results with the added plus that I rode a 'Fixed' in both evens and still in the first flush of racing so not near my racing fitness yet, with the British Masters track at the end of the month time is short to get thoes muscles prepared so a bit o' back to back racing the best solution to winkle out some of the dormant form that might be useful on the boards. I'd been doing some work in London so a stay over in NE London and a brief morning ride was all that I managed as a build up but its good to do things differently and preparation can't always be ideal so better to put yourself under a bit of discomfort in preparation so you can be prepared for all eventualities. I was one of the later starters in the VTTA Championship '25' I thought the wind of the past few days would blow itself out but not soon enough for the Saturday afternoon on the Newmarket bypass. I chose (54 x 14) 102" gear as I have decided to make every event a 'fixed' one (where possible) but there was no doubt it was going to be an uneven ride but nothing I can do about it as I've only got the one bike, sometimes you can have too much choice and live too much in the comfort zone

Perfect Day (with gilet) - Finsbury '50' (A1)

A fixed wheel is a lovely sensation for racing when you can get the momentum of your ride to carry you along from one section of the course to another like a demented hamster in a wheel but when faced with a full on head wind it becomes a bit of a grind just to survive, that unfortunately was what I was faced with on the outbound leg along the A14/11 DC course, I dare not look at my computer which found itself set on 3.1 miles so somewhat better than the previous week but even my addled brain could not work out the splits so all I can say was I was 30:36 to the 12.5m turn (24.50mph) so looking forward to some reward.
And lovely it was, 30mph all the way and my 85 RPM transformed into a 110 RPM rhapsody of sporting performance and syncopated perfection, well maybe not that exquisite but it felt pretty good to me, not enough time to recoup my losses but 55:56 (28th) a damn fine time for the conditions. Of course my time pales into the shade of my minute man Kevin Tye (Datateam Allstars!) who won the event with a staggering 49:54 he took 4 minutes out of me on the outward leg and 2 on the return (What a boy!) The main difference being that he actually won the Championship (on Standard) as well. Although defending champion 75 year old Derek Stewart (Deeside Thistle) was 2nd under the new 'Standards'  so with a good rage of ages represented in the top 10 it looks like the team that put the new tables together (Research + Calculus + Fibonacci) had done a creditable job
I bumped into Jonathon now in Epsom colours and allot of other riders wanting to know what I'd been up to and had I been training in Mexico and had weight loss surgery at the same time? A mystery to me as I'm exactly the same weight and it must be seeing me in civvy's that put them off and more than one person was heard to mention "Where were my 'baggy' shorts?" and with "Some onions I'd be mistaken for a Frenchman"

Finsbury '50' - Hard going up some of them slopes

Getting up at 4.30 for a race can be laced with fear and trepidation but when faced with such a beautiful morning, as I was on the next day, makes you forget that you have tired legs. The Finsbury is a long standing fixture of the racing season and a good field from these parts despite the National & VTTA '25' the day before, a spin on the rollers to ease the legs into race condition and I'm off up & down the A1 from Sandy in the South to Buckden in the North via the Black Cat roundabout. I took it steady over the first 10 miles easing up to jettison my gilet that I forgot to remove at the start, getting down to business I'd caught everybody in front of me just after the first 25m lap (56:36), I could have done with dropping my gear a couple of inches as I was pedalling just that little bit too slow (90 RPM) for me to feel comfortable but at least it was pretty even all the way around as the flags stayed asleep on their poles and the roads damp with the early dew hummed under my silky tyres. I could see quite a few riders going well but I just had to ride my race to its conclusion and I could feel twinges of cramp over the last 10 miles so I did not push too hard as I could feel the previous days efforts all over, a racing performance is total immersion and no part of the rider escapes inspection by the course
1:53:34 was a great time and dare I say it was easy, I always try my hardest but the conditions are a gift and when you get a perfect present of a morning it seems churlish not to be grateful for not having to wish your life away, so take it for what it is and be happy for those that got up at the ungodly hour and made the best of their reward. Lots of PB's and good times so I'm not fretting being down the result a bit. Steve Berry (Team Swift) wins it with 1:42:59

VTTA '25' Result Here

Finsbury '50'  Result Here

Wiggle Dragon Ride - UK UCI Golden bike round

Although I rode most of the day in my SWRC gillet, I am pictured above in 'The Prostate Cancer Charity' blue and white colours as I took a sponsored entry to this event.


Having spent the night about 30 miles away from the start of the Wiggle Dragon Ride in Port Talbot, Wales, I was enjoying the drive to the event village when spots of water appeared on my windscreen.  Was it the NationalExpress bus in front washing it's windscreen?  Sadly not!  It took a little while to get into the event, but soon I was parked and ready to go.  All timing chips and numbers were distributed to the riders prior to the event, so no sign-on issues.  Along with my brother Steve and his riding buddy Andy, we rolled to the start and had no delay and we were out on the course.  I looked for Toby Conant and Graham Collins who I knew were also riding the event, but I unfortunately I didn't see them.

A nice gentle warm-up was what greeted us.  Riding as a small group we were jumping groups down the road with relative ease and Steve only paused once to ask if we were starting too fast as we did seem to be making our way through the field a bit quickly but we were also picking up a peleton.

At 10 miles, I saw a move coming from one of the riders and I jumped on and we gaped the group, and I think I may have even had the chance to get a banana down my neck as I sat in his draft.

I've had a tough start to the season this year (like a number of A group riders, although mine was not as tough as some) and I was very concerned about pacing this one correctly and making sure I had enough fluid.  This meant that I had to go against my usual plan of skipping feedstations.  With 130 miles to complete and only 3 feedstations, you could find yourself without fluid with a long ride to the next feed.  I was very lucky (having spoken to Toby Conant) as my total stoppage time for the day was around 10 mins and there were reports of some people being delayed for over 10 mins at a single station.

With the profile of the course being back end loaded I knew I had to keep some in reserve and I was aiming for a sub 8 hour ride.  Black Mountain was the first up and it was all about controlling my HR and not blowing out on the first real climb.  The next set of climbs seemed to just merge into one climb and my pace was dropping naturally.

At the feedstation at the top of Cray, I took a sneak at the over a rider's shoulder at the profile.  Four main climbs to go and I was feeling ok.  The first two were the worst for me as there were steeper , but by the time I was at the feedstation at the top of Rhigos I knew I had one more climb to get through.

As I came over the top of Bwlch I glanced down at my average speed which had dropped to 16.3 mph.  I knew this final run into the finish was going to be key to post a good time.  I gunned it.  Got myself into a pack and we worked as a four to approach the finish feeling fast and strong (for once!) and was able to raise my average by 1 mph to 17.3mph (riding average).

Stats from the day:
1836 riders listed, which seems very low...

9 non starters or timing chip issues,
70 non finishers
1757 riders given times

Fastest time 6:29:23.
My time 7:44:14 - 114th place, Silver award (just!)
Toby Conant 9:10:36 - 765th place
Graham Collins 9:13:54 - 808th place
Slowest completion time 12:21:50

22 riders got gold,
118 riders got silver,
287 riders got bronze,
1409 riders got no time award (Clearly a tough time standard)




One more UK event before I head off to France for both 'Etape du Tour' stages....

Fort William World Cup Qualifying

Some downhill action
More Mountain Biking Videos

Six Ribs, One Clavicle and a Scapula

Following last Saturday's accident, I thought I'd share my experience of a serious crash, for any members planning a trip over the handlebars anytime soon.

Returning from our Chartwell tea stop, I came a cropper on a surprise road bump on the descent of Gangers Hill, Tandridge. So surprising in fact, that I was lying on my back in the road within a split second, with my bike some way ahead of me. The initial shock is pretty intense on these occasions, and my first concern was to see which bits were busted. Thankfully I could move my feet and left hand, but felt a lot of pain on my right side. I managed to get into a sitting position, and could plainly feel a break in my right collar bone, and I was finding it hard to breath. A couple of cars had stopped by this time, and an ambulance was called, which arrived within ten minutes or so. The paramedic got busy with a pair of scissors, and in no time my club top, base layer and brand new deMarchi contour fit pro shorts, (£120.00) were in shreds. He confirmed the collar bone break, and expressed the view that I had also crushed my humerus, (thankfully this was not the case) They then proceeded to strap me into a neck brace, and vacuum pack the rest of me onto a stretcher. The drive to East Surrey hospital was short and uneventful, with an uninterrupted view of the ceiling. I was in shock by this time, so they gave me oxygen, and showed me some pornography to try get my blood pressure up. They suspected a pneumothorax (collapsed lung) which explained the shortness of breath. My combined injuries gave me a first class upgrade through casualty, with complimentary lounge access, and a team was waiting for me as soon as we arrived. A chest x-ray and a cat scan later confirmed that I had broken six ribs, collar bone, shoulder blade and a small pneumothorax. On the plus side, I had no spine or head injuries, my helmet having absorbed all the impact.

Because of my chest injuries they put me in a high dependancy ward, and with a cocktail of pain killers circulating in my system I settled down to attempt some sleep. One of the problems of any violent shock to the body can be an inability to pee, and by Sunday morning, the problem had become so pressing that the nurse opted to give me the catheter treatment. A small crowd assembled, including a couple of medics, my wife Helen, and a cleaner or two. A small cheer went up when we passed the one litre mark, and they finally called time at 1.2 litres. The previous record on the ward was a paltry 0.8 litres, so I enjoyed some brief notoriety for this amazing feat of bladder capacity. Being a high dependancy ward, the rest of the inmates were generally much older and sicker than I was. Our vital stats were broadcast on a monitor above the nurses station, and it was with some little pride that I read off the list of heart rates: 98, 88, 94, 49, 86, 92. (..spot the cyclist)

Good news came the following morning, when the Ortho doc confirmed that my fractures were well aligned, and that no plates or screws would be necessary. Removal of the catheter the following day, and a spontaneous pee, really put the spring back into my step. In the end I stayed in for four nights, and received fantastic care from all the staff. However hospitals are not restful places, and the diet is on the bland side, and I was much relieved to be given the all clear to go home on Wednesday.

I'd like to thank the Alphas for looking out for me, in particular Dave and Vero for seeing me into the hospital, and Mark Williams for recovering my bike. I'll be back on the road mid July or so.

Niall

River Pageant

 Wet Wet Wet - (pic Michael Butler - Inform-Images)

Bruyneel is in trouble

Sky are doing well, but in the Radio Shack Nissan Trek camp all is not well.....

Tour of Wessex

I have seen Nick's posting about this event, but I wanted to add my own account since it was a fantastic three day experience and certainly the most enjoyable sportive I have done in this country. I signed up for it late last year as one of the events I intended to do in preparation for La Marmotte in July. However, as the event approached I realised that it would be a big challenge in itself. I have ridden a lot of hundred mile rides, but never taken on anything like three on consecutive days (not to mention about 7,000 m of climbing).

Stage 1 - All the stages started from Somerton, just to the east of Taunton. The weather was fine as we started out over the Somerset Levels and I managed to keep in with a group for about the first 30 miles averaging around 19 m.p.h until we got to Cheddar Gorge and on the ascent the group gradually disintegrated. Cheddar was quite a pleasant steady climb, but a few miles further on we ascended up to King Alfred's Tower. I am not sure what the official gradient was, but I came close to grinding to a complete standstill. I completed the 105 miles in just under 7 hours - a fast time by my standards.

Stage 2 - A couple of days before this stage, the weather forecast had been awful. As it turned out, I manged to complete the 118 miles in the dry except for some light rain in the last 5 miles. This was basically a ride out to the Dorset coast and back. Again I was able to get in with a fast moving group for the first 30 miles or so. The highlight of the stage was the climb up above Lulworth Cove before dropping down to Corfe Castle. The weather forecast had suggested there would be a strong tail wind on the way back, but it seemed to have turned into a head wind and I felt I was battling with this for much of the return journey and often on my own without any shelter. By the end of each of the rides, I was getting some pain in my right ankle, but since it did not appear to be any worse at the end of day two than it had been at the end of the first stage, I decided to go on and complete Stage 3.

Stage 3 - This turned out to be the highlight of the event, even though, at 2,700 m, there was significantly more climbing than on the first two days. Again there was quite a flat start, but I was now starting to feel the effects of the preceding two days and was finding it difficult to stay with any group. In the end, I decided not to try to hang on, but just to carry on at my own pace. There were some pretty steep ascents going through the Quantock Hills before arriving Porlock on the way up to Exmoor. The route went up the toll road from Porlock. This ascent was a delight. It was a really quiet climb over about four miles, winding up through the woods and then out on to the open moor. It kept a steady gradient of around 7-10% and was the most like an Alpine climb of any I have done in the country. There was then an exhilarating ride across the top of Exmoor, followed by some more ups and downs over the Brendon Hills, before a long descent down towards Taunton. The official distance for this leg was 108 miles, but my computer said 112 by the time I finished and so the last few miles were a bit of a struggle in that I thought the end was never going to come.

At the end, I had saddle sore to add to the sore ankle, but felt a real sense of achievement and was quite satisfied with my total time of just over 23 and a half hours.

Wessex 600km

With the cold Bryan Chapman 600km audax in Wales a distant memory, well it was a week ago, I headed down the M3 to Poole and the third ride of my Wessex Super Randonneur (SR) series. I had completed my 200 and 300km rides over one weekend at the end of March, but missing the organized 400km event which I will have to ride later. This Wessex SR series is known to be tough with plenty of climbing, so a few hardy souls from the YACF forum had decided to get together to ride it this year. At some time in the past it had been an fully organized event, but with dwindling numbers, it had become a perm, which differs in the fact that once you have purchased your brevet card for a few pounds, you can ride the route when ever you please, as long as you complete the whole 600km/380mile in the designated 40hrs.
So when I rocked up a 6am on Saturday morning there was 10 of us ready to set off on the figure of 8 circuit around Hampshire,Dorset, Devon, Somerset and Wiltshire.

Wessex 600km route

So we all set off and imeadiatly we were in 3 separate groups, which was fine as I didn't particularly want to go charging off through the New Forest.  I got to the first CP at 50 mile which was at a village post office which must have been one that the government wanted to close but which is now kept open and run by 47 volunteers from the village. The next stage was through some beautiful lanes along the Wylye valley. The sun was coming up and I was getting my head around the minimalist route sheet inside the brevet card. The whole ride was tricky but also enjoyable because the whole route is on the smallest of country lanes so it does take some working out. Mind you there's plenty of time if you do go off course and on a few occasions I did turn on my Garmin to make sure I was on the correct route or I had to take the next turning to get back on it. When questioned about the difficulty of navigating the organiser tell people " good, you found some new lanes" which I think is right. You don't always have to follow the route exactly.
From Saturday lunchtime till Sunday lunch I rode with Simon Gent from the Shaftesbury CC, who I had previously ridden with on P-B-P last summer.


Evening meal was in Exmouth after some steep climbs along the Devon coast, then a later stop around midnight at Taunton Dene service station which was deserted when we arrived. We were going to stop around the 390km mark at someone's house near Cheddar but the combination of Garmin technology and my brain not totally functioning (it was 4am), meant we couldn't find the place and after twenty minutes searching around we decided to carry on and keep warm. We eventually arrived at Malmesbury around 8am just as the sun was beginning to warm us up. I eat a couple of Chelsea buns from the co-op but just as I was polishing them off the tearoom opened and so I popped in and ordered a cooked breakfast. My eyes were defiantly bigger than my stomach as when it can I could only eat half and instead went for a few minutes sleep outside, while the others riders finished their food. Sunday was another hot day and I rode the next stage with Simon, John B and Martin L, who I had ridden with the previous Sunday morning in Wales. The pace was higher than we were ridding before, but I was feeling better, and I wanted to burn off some of those calories I had just eaten. Before I knew it it was lunchtime and time for some more food. I stopped at a lovely tearoom in Nunney, and let the other to race on up the the CP at the petrol station. I chilled out over tea, cake and an ice cream. From here was an just 50 miles back to the finish in Poole but still there were climbs to get over. It had been a beautiful cycling weekend, about 8000m of climbing, which once you get to the end you do think," Yes, I really enjoyed that".

El Extrem 2012

Extrem 2012

This year I picked up a cold a week before we left for Ibiza to ride the Extrem - A 65km mountain bike race around the hills of Sant Josep. So I took a week off and did a couple of steady rides before we left. I noticed a few new guys in my category this year, the youngsters are creeping in :) Particularly Antonio and Agustin who last year were tubby 49 years olds, were now two sleek fit looking 50 years olds :) Once around the football field and we were off through the town up the steep road hill to the first rocky descent. Antonio and Agustin have gone off pretty fast in a small group, I can't close on the hills but catch them fairly easily on the technical descents. It goes like this for 25 km until it's just me and Antonio. He is still pulling hard on the climbs and I'm struggling to stay with him. At this stage I'm desperately trying to think of a 'Smithism' (Gary Smith has a fabulous list of isms for every situation) Today will have to be 'keep your powder dry' I decide to let him go at the top of every climb and catch him on the descents, I show willing and go through on a couple of the flattish sections too but I'm pretty stuffed and mainly just hang on. On the descent approaching the second to last climb I notice Antonio standing and shaking his legs. On the climb I wait for him to increase speed at the top and he doesn't. On the descent I notice him shaking his legs again. We now have a km of rolling track to the final Check Point and then the last climb,Sa Atalaia - an open 2km of hairpin gravelled firetrack. I have to attack on the last climb because the following descent is very narrow and technical and that's where I can hope to get a gap. I drink my remaining drink on the rolling track to the CP, I won't need to replenish my bottle for only 2km. I skid to a halt and quickly sign the control, Antonio has signed and is filling a bottle! I quickly push on and start the climb, by the time he catches me I'm a couple of hundred metres into the climb, and he's breathing fairly hard. He starts to pass me and I stand up and turn a biggish gear to match him. At a km to go I'm still with him and I know it flattens a bit soon and decide to go for it! He matches me and I push again and gap him. I get my head down and get to the descent with a 100m lead. It starts with a steep chest on the saddle drop in coated in loose ball bearing size rocks, scary!! :O I had to get off a one point to climb over a fallen tree. The rest of it was rocky steps and roots with a huge drop to the left.

Once out onto the road I got my head down throught the town. I glanced back as I neared the sports ground where we finished and Antonio was bearing down on me. In the sports ground we had to go part way around the running track to the finish line. I almost lost it on the last bend and crossed the line two seconds up on Antonio.

Jane won her category and 2nd Female overall.

Nottingham Clarion '50'

With not so much as an evening '10' in my legs I decided to enter a few events as I have the National Masters Track at Newport at the end of the month and the need for a bit of speed to go with my slow but steady miles thus far this year, I'd not topped 200 miles in a week until mid May when I rode to and back from London one (long) weekend but I had managed 30 miles every other day to work and kept my weight down with a diet of less carb's and soup so I was just hovering around 14 st and twitching for a bit of racing action (but nothing hilly)
To be fair the weather has not been the best but when it suddenly heated up mid May everybody was able to strip off a layer and get excited but with the long Diamond Jubilee weekend approaching the temperature took a nosedive and on Sunday morning I awoke to 7 degrees and torrential rain. Not one to put thing off! The only concession I made was to not ride fixed which I had made a rule to do at every opportunity this year and this being a pan flat course on B roads round the Vale of Belvoir would have been an excellent place to start but the conditions and the access to only one break to go with the one gear made me think better of it.
21 DNS and 4 DNF from a field of 44 tells its own story! The first man I bumped into was scratch man and last years winner Matt Sinclair "I've got too light a tyre on the front" (only brought the one) I ventured thinking of the rutted and pot holed roads I'd just rattled down in the car to the HQ at Plungar even got a mention on the Start sheet so maybe I should have payed more attention. "I've got two 6oz tyres on" says he, now Matt's a similar build to me (On the hefty side! used to be a footballer - I bet he wasn't a winger) "Your gonna puncture" says I and sure enough he did after 3 miles of starting effort into the wind and a wet walk home. I took a spare (as I mostly do - being a bit Old skool) as a precaution against worn shoe plates.
With no idea of what to expect of my fitness but you don't just loose it, Do you? Fifty miles is a long way to race but with a circular course covered 2 1/2 times at least I would only ever be 4 or 5 miles from the HQ but to prevent the ignominy of packing I decided an start easy , the aforementioned West wind made sure of that but a circular course well broken up the wind and soon I was on the A52 and speeding wind behind to Bingham, the one thing I could do nothing about was the water, spray from the passing cars wetter than those revellers on the Thames up to their ankles on bilge water. I pressed on trying to keep my RPM at a hundred more to keep warm than anything else, memories of last years Anfield '100' when riders were almost in a state of hypothermia at the end (year ago tomorrow), I caught a few riders Cambridge & Fenland Clarion (well it was the official Clarion Champs) but my computer was still set for my last race and that was............. a 3Km pursuit so not only was my watch in KILOMETERS but it was bleeping ever single sodding one of the buggers to the end! EIGHTY of the bleeders.........really annoying! As I tried to work out the Km/miles conversion in my head (it's always good to have something to occupy your mind when in a state of concentration)
My back and shoulders began to feel a bit under pressure after ten miles and for a bit I thought this was going to be a long two hours but then I had to make a bit more effort as I came into the wind and I forgot about the pain in my back as the pain in my legs got more persistent but pulling into the wind to complete the first lap was OK, low gears, getting my feet around, over some blasted rumble strips (that we had to cover three times Grrrrrrrrrr!) Why do they need to put them out here in the middle of nowhere? On a perfectly straight road, I suppose we have to be thankful that the powers that be have not decided to put LIGHTS! like they have on so many other courses Grrrrrrrr! Take a bit of drink, staying hydrated in the rain, it all seems so surreal but if I don't then I know that cramp and fatigue will be not far behind, I'd used isotonic, the stuff for long hot days in the saddle, knocked it up the night before, what was I thinking?
Only a lap to do now, I pass a man (for the second time) on a bike loaded up with carrier bags of rubbish going the other way with a long straggly beard and about three coats on! heading to Grantham in the pouring rain, I think to myself 'In forty minutes this will be over and I can go back to my normal dry life' but what will he do? I feel sorry for him and want to shout encouragement but It would just be lost in the traffic noise and the rain, I hope he has somewhere dry to stay, but I think he probably hasn't.

First event of the Season (pic Michael Butler - Inform-Images)

Last lap and the photographer gets me going up the only rise on the course, I try and look effortless and poetic but I probably grimace too much, once more into the wind, legs not as sprightly now, computer annoying, speed bumps annoying, rain annoying but I'm really quite enjoying it, I'm doing an OK ride, my speed is over 41Kmh so that means 25mph and not slowing, I take a look over my shoulder, Scott Walker (MG Decor) not caught me for 5 min and nowhere in sight, maybe he punctured? Third time down the A52, glorious finish, the tramp has gone, I was sad to miss him, maybe he found somewhere dry? 1:57:56 a good ride 4th place and first Vet 50+  Walker wins it with1:54:05

Full Result

A very green dene

A week ago the Saturday club ride for the As was to Wigginholt.It was a very select band of 4 who met at the car park which was 4 times bigger than it had been a week earlier I am told.
Richard left us early as he was riding a sportive the next day and I had to be back so left Andy and Niall near Billingshurst.
Descending from Coombe Bottom into Green Dene as I came round the left hand bend at the bottom of the descent  this was what I found.

If the tree had come down another 10 yards nearer the bend it could have been quite interesting.As it was I stopped at least 2 feet behind the local who was just about to turn on his chain saw to start cutting the tree away.

Nick

sunday loop

A week ago on sunday  I rode out into the Surrey Hills with the group who I used to ride with  -pre SWRC.
They often stop at Tanhouse Farm and with the weather being markedly better than this past weekend,it was the perfect day to be there and be able to sit outside.There must have been about 30 or more bikes parked against the fence.
As we were looking for a table we saw a distinguished looking gentleman at a table on his own,but instead of joining him ,we sat with Gary Smith who was doing some serious ( bakewell tart ) based training. Shown here with Tim ( the semi-visible but paid up SWRC member who knows Gary from Mallorca rides_
Nick

tour of wessex stage 3

Finally ,the last and hardest day. Another change of direction with the route northwards  making the most of Somerton being in the middle of the neck of the country between north and south coasts. Today has the two hardest climbs of the event.First over the Quantocks and then up onto Exmoor. In previous years this has meant the climb to Dunkery Beacon. It is about 20-25% at the top and long and is a bit of a pig. However, this year for a change we were going up the Porlock Toll Road.
I was conscious that Porlock ,so far as I am aware ,Porlockers forgive me if I am doing you down here ,is famous for only one thing. A bloody steep hill.

We would soon see  what the Toll Road comprised.

Today ,Jon was trying to rival Gerald in the friend stakes and so at the start we were joined by John from Devon and Rich and a mate from Bournemouth and Martin again.  Jon and Gerald had the shared the addition of Lee,who left Helen in charge of Claude to have a day on the bike.I was Norman no- mates . If we could not find a group that would have us we would have to make our own.

The diy group at the start .Almost last to start again.
Unfortunately ,Rich blew a tyre apart not far in and so we did not see them again .
After a gentle start through the "Levels" to warm up tired legs,the hills of the Quantocks come as a bit of shock.Then down again and along the coast past Minehead to Porlock.

The climb up the Porlock Toll Road was perfect.Jon described it as the best all round climb he has done in the UK. It is 4 miles long ( but then some more climbing follows on Exmoor) and is generally at about 7-10% .As it is a  fee paying toll road it is very quiet and I dont recall seeing   a single vehicle on the way up.The road starts off in deciduous woods and then suddenly there are views of the sea as the road comes out on the moor proper.A real treat.

The rest of us stayed together the whole ride being joined for about half  of the ride by Mark ,another Gerald mate,from Cent cols last year. He was very strong and when we opted to stop at the last feed station he rode on  having  already ridden ahead.

I forgot to say that I saw Peter Dewis ,recognising his club shirt ,on the sunday and we had a quick chat.It is a great event and well worth entering next year for anyone who has never ridden it.It is rare to be able to ride  in the UK a supported event with 3 very different routes,in great countryside ,on consecutive days .Maybe there could be a club trip to ride it next year…….

Gerald and I will have  particularly fond memories this year after enjoying the delights of the Evans wonderful hospitality ( I cannot promise that for other club members I am afraid ).
Nick

tour of wessex stage 2

The forecast for the sunday was not great but we were luckier than some boat thing that apparently was happening in London. In the end it rained only for 2 or 3 minutes when we were about 5 minutes from the end .
Today Gerald and I were joined by Jon and at about  at third of the way as I recall by Martin -one of Gerald's many friends.In truth it was surprising that there were not at least 10 of us in the group by the end ,having regard to Gerald's unequalled friend making skills.
A different day today,down to the south coast to Lulworth cove and Durdle door. Again quiet roads through green,lush countryside. Amongst the highlights are the sections through the Piddle valley ,where for some reason the towns are called ,Puddletown or Tolpuddle ,rather than,well ,for example, Little Piddle, or High Piddle  and so on.
The four of us shared the work and of course four is much easier than 2. We all felt good and it was one of those days where the ride worked really well for all four of us .It was by Lulworth cove when we had for once got into a good group we had our only puncture of the the three days .

Wet grass at the finish meant that there were not riders lying around like there had been on the day before .So we retired to the shelter that Lee and Helen who are Claude the Butler had put up. After some of their superb soup-including amongst its ingredients protein packed quinoa ,"proper "coffee and frankly ,quite outstanding pistachio cake ,even though our legs were already feeling like pokers as we shuffled back to the car, we felt dramitically better than we had done a little earlier.
I should explain that "Claude" had provided his splendid catering on the Cent Cols in 2011 and  Jon and Gerald are confirmed devotees to "his" charms.

Claude .

Claude did not provide the only cakes of wonder ,Emma, one of Jon's daughters had made these little beauties waiting for us when we arrived back at the house.

 

tour of wessex stage 1

Gerald ( who Niall and Mark P will know from the Ardennes last year ) drove down to Dorset on the saturday morning so we started  late at the back of the field with all but a couple of riders having left.
We had a good ,sunny day and a great ride through lovely countryside on quiet roads throughout.Gerald is  training hard for the Alps version of the Cent cols in august and seperate event in  the Alps before then.He was going strongly all day.
Other than a few miles at the start with a group all wearing Chain Reaction shirts ,who are about to ride the whole of the Tour route for charity ,but who unfortunately broke a spoke ,and then a few miles on the wheel of a triathlete on his TT bike which was great on the flat but then we lost him when the road started going uphill  and a few miles at the end,we rode the event on our own.It does not make for such a fast time but is better training and probably more fun.
As when I previously rode this event 3 years ago ,there were more riders wearing club shirts, Road and Triathlon clubs,from all over the country ,than normal sportives,so I tend to think the standard of riders is quite high.

The first day is fittingly the easiest, so after Gerald seeming to know most of the other riders,having ridden so many events last year ( including 9 stages of the Giro and Cent cols in the Pyrenees ) had said all his goodbyes,we drove to stay with Jon, a friend from the cent cols ( and another on the Ardennes trip ) who was joining us for sunday and monday.
That night it was a cold bath,compression tights ( yes it gets pretty exciting out in the west country at night) ,eat a wonderful dinner with Jon and Alice at their house and asleep by 10pm in preparation for the longest day of the three on sunday.

Nick

 

Mike Hall smashes round-the-world record

Yorkshireman Mike Hall arrived in Greenwich just before one o'clock this afternoon after smashing the round-the-world bike ride record. The 31-year-old from Harrogate took around 91 days, 18 hours  to circle the world from west to east, averaging almost 200 miles per day. As well as crossing the finish line on the Queen's Diamond Jubilee weekend, today happens to be Hall's birthday.

Read more here
http://road.cc/content/news/59544-mike-hall-smashes-round-world-record-time-91-days-18-hours
Route here
http://trackleaders.com/worldcycleracei.php?name=Mike_Hall
Photos here
https://picasaweb.google.com/zigzag510/WorldCycleRace2012?authkey=Gv1sRgCMqpm4uu_b3B9QE#
Guardian Article
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/jun/03/around-world-92-days-bike-record

Mike's own website
http://normallyaspiratedhuman.com/

Spirit of Chartwell

The A's were back to there usual lanes in Surrey, Sussex and Kent after most of them being in the Pyrenees over the past couple of weeks. It was the start of the Queen's Jubilee weekend so many of the villages we passed through were decked out with Union Jack bunting.

As usual the Alphas are all kitted in their smart club jerseys and look as if they are representing G.B.
Which one of these is a Cavendish lookalike?

Col d'Aubisque

A nice group shot of all those SWRC members who went on the Pyrennean trip last week.