Cycling log - random events in the day of a cyclist

[Weekender]

Cheesed off.
Booked Friday off for a long ride.
Roll on.

Done.
113km at 26kph. Ten minutes off PB, though mainly due to only having two stops.

 

[foxwelljsly]

85km & 1014m ascent on the North Downs Way from home to Dover at an average of 15.4kph on the 26" hardtail yesterday. Fabulous ride, but yet another excruciating bout of saddle sores leads me to believe that I have a major bike fit issue and the wrong saddle - I have been using a layback seatpost saddle to push out the geometry on a (small) 17" Orange G4 frame and a Planet X road saddle. 18" Kinesis Maxlight frame and WTB 142 rocket saddle ordered. If anyone wants a 17" G4 frame in good nick, PM me.

 

[foxwelljsly]

Descending the North Downs towards Pilgrims Way this morning the road was blocked by fire engines, ambulances and the police dealing with a collision. Only one of the vehicles was in any way intact, although it was missing most of the front section. I don't see how there can not have been at least two fatalities.
It's a sketchy downhill section, dappled sunlight and narrow lanes. Only three weeks ago our chain gang was taken out by a deer that ran into a rider at 32mph. The deer skipped off and the riders involved suffered only extensive road rash and bruising. Helmets did their job and bikes were surprisingly undamaged.
Today there were a couple of car drivers who were sounding their horns trying to find a way through. Must say I was a bit speechless, carnage on the roads and you get angry at being held up for 5 or 10 minutes?
We continued our ride down a bumpy pot holed road which led on to a steep muddy, gravel track that eventually led us towards Pilgrims Way. A glorious summers day which made me reflect on the joys of being alive on a bike!

Which descent was this Hollingbourne? Coldblow?

 

[andrew d]

Clarke's Lane, the B2024, just at the Junction with Chestnut Avenue/ Church Hill. We diverted down Chestnut Avenue on to The Avenue which is a largely unmade private road!

 

[andrew d]

85km & 1014m ascent on the North Downs Way from home to Dover at an average of 15.4kph on the 26" hardtail yesterday. Fabulous ride, but yet another excruciating bout of saddle sores leads me to believe that I have a major bike fit issue

A friend of mine is walking the North Downs Way in stages. Would be fun to do it all on a bike. Vaseline is my top tip for saddle sores etc.

 

[ian123running]

Talking of accidents... We were riding the tandem a couple of weeks ago on a beautiful sunny afternoon, quiet road, cycling heaven. We came across this total wreckage which had just happened less than a minute before we got there. The car on the left was driving out of a 50kph zone - you can see how he'd lost it, locked the brakes, skidded, went across the ditch on the left (leaving a wheel in the ditch) then right across the road and in and back out of the ditch on the right before coming to rest. A young guy had been driving -we heard him in the phone 'maman la voiture est morte' Indeed it was. Luckily there were no injuries we could see - to the occupants or anyone else. But it really was lucky we weren't cycling at that spot a minute earlier. His speed must have been crazy.
IMG_3538 by Ian123_running, on Flickr

 

[Ibbots]

Latest version of my forever bike. Can trace this bike back to the first decent bike I bought - a second hand De Rosa Merak with 9spd Dura Ace groupset from Harry Hills in Manchester about 18 years ago. 4 or 5 frames, similar numbers of wheel and groupsets over the years. Frame is new, Ultegra 11spd, Mavic Kysrium Pro Exalith wheels and other bits rolled over from last version. Weighs 16lbs as shown which is light enough for this fat bastard.

 

[vince rocker]

You should put it on the big ring for photos, Ibbots

 

[k90tour]

My latest go anywhere bike

 

[k90tour]

Mont Ventoux from Bédoin a couple of days ago. Lovely ride (just under 2 hours up so ok for an oldie) but the main thing is I used my HRM to stay in a sensible zone and just rode from bottom to top without stopping. An awesome descent through the corkscrew forest.

My wife rented an E-bike and comfortably arrived at the top with me. impressive, really

Good going. This is my favourite place in the world. The road from Bedoin to Malaucene (Col de Madeleine ) is lovely. Haven't been for six years. Not sure if I'm still up to it.

 

[foxwelljsly]

Built what I expect will be my last ever 26" 3x9 hardtail over the last couple of days. Will pop out for a quick blast round the downs on it when the wife gets back from work.

 

[ian123running]

A lovely ride on the solos on Sunday in Mayenne, France where we can comfortably ride in Pays de la Loire, Brittany and Normandy in the same morning. 10 days off since our Ventoux / Vendee trip but I could really feel the strength still there. 62km, 26 km/h with a bit of looping back to stay reasonably close to my wife. Perfect weather, a large snake in the road to avoid a nice cold beer to finish.

 

[ian123running]

Good going. This is my favourite place in the world. The road from Bedoin to Malaucene (Col de Madeleine ) is lovely. Haven't been for six years. Not sure if I'm still up to it.

Yes, superb there isn't it? Yes the Col de Madeleine is very sweet. Also Gorges de la Nesque just down the road - brilliant climb for cyclists who don't like climbing. Maybe 2% or 3 % most of the way for about 20km. Nice brake-free descent too. And a couple of short tunnels with height restrictions - there was very little traffic but loads of bikes.

 

[k90tour]

The Gorges de la Nesque doesn't do my vertigo any good! I think I travelled along it once in a car and thought 'I don't want to be cycling along here'. It is very beautiful though.

 

[NeilR]

Bmc launched their new gravel bike today. Have to say i am rather tempted.

I recognise that this picture is taken on the col de Chasseral which is not too far from me and is exactly the type of terrain i would be interested in exploring. There are loads of these kinds of tracks near me the in swiss jura

 

[andrew d]

Yes, superb there isn't it? Yes the Col de Madeleine is very sweet. Also Gorges de la Nesque just down the road - brilliant climb for cyclists who don't like climbing. Maybe 2% or 3 % most of the way for about 20km. Nice brake-free descent too. And a couple of short tunnels with height restrictions - there was very little traffic but loads of bikes.

The Col de Madeline near Ventoux is indeed very sweet. On 16th July 2016 it may as well been it's taller and longer namesake! I'd cycled from Marseilles Airport to Ventoux for the TDF stage, the one where the high winds meant that it finished at Chalet Reynard, not the summit and Froome had to run with his bike. Those mistral winds had battered me all the way from the airport. I thought I'd easily ride the 60 or so miles in 3:30 ish. It was 6 hours of hellish headwinds, averaging about 10mph. I missed the TDF, met my friends who'd been there for a couple of days. Then we had to cycle back to a camp site in Entrechaux. That took us over the Madeline. It just about destroyed me!
The next day we rode the Gorge which is stunning and the following day the winds had subsided and we went up Ventoux.

 

[HarryB]

Good to catch up with what the PFM cycling fraternity have been up to but sad to see this thread on Page 5

Despite the crappiest and windiest summer I ever remember up here in the North East, I’ve been keeping the pedals turning.

Did my fourth hundred miler of the year yesterday. Bloody tough with lots of nasty little and not so little climbs

222kms with 2,463m of climbing and an average of 28kph. I felt my age at times

 

[S-Man]

Despite the crappiest and windiest summer I ever remember up here in the North East, I’ve been keeping the pedals turning.

OMG, have you forgotten 2012:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19427139

222kms with 2,463m of climbing and an average of 28kph. I felt my age at times

I generally ride 3 times per week.
Mind you, more like, 40Km, with 1Km climbing at an average 14kph...

 

[Ibbots]

8 miles and 75ft of climbing today, accompanying my father on his thrice weekly "blast" along Morecame promenade and back - he does alright for an 82 year old, usually follows his ride with an hour or so in the gym.

 

[S-Man]

Must be getting soft... or sensible. I bottled an opportunity to do a couple of laps of Sherwood Pines today.
I decided that I would ride if it was less than 30C, but it was 36!