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Another beautiful day on the bike. This time with my wife and 9 year old son. We cycled from Blackheath to Walthamstow to meet some friends for brunch, and then cycled back this afternoon. Jago (my son) has just discovered the joys of climbing on a bike and maintained a steady 11.5 mph up greenwich park hill on the way home. I'm going to have to set up a strava account for him - he also has the best ever race-face!
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Ridiculously winning turn around Essex and high beech with wrongcog, bigpaintbrush and hms.
http://app.strava.com/rides/9365908
Just one of those days where everything gels, I felt like a gamboling wild sheepling on my bike, the sun shone, England looked dreamy and the company was peerless. I feel like I've been waiting for a long time for a ride as purely enjoyable as this.Thanks to hms for thrashing through the east end traffic in order to help me get home in time to avoid incurring the wrath of my fearsome lady. Mr wrongcog: you looked real purty on your steed today. I think the bike whispering session has paid dividends. And BPB - sorry about all the nose-based racism, you know I love you blood, I just wish I could keep up with you...
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^^ probably trying to change gear.
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Anyone doing the Castle 100 ride tomorrow?
Weather looks rubbish - I haven't done an entirely dry weekend ride for 2 months now! And I have a cold - violins please. Still gonna smash it though! I am doing it with BigPaintbrush. I have a white plastic Giant and he has a mostly white Ribble and is very tall and fast. Say Hai if you see us.
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I can trackstand without going backwards.
So I just need to stay there until everyone else goes home.That's two of us then. Hmm, praps there should be an advanced race where you have to trackstand while nursing a pint and playing a game of chess. Winner is the last person to finish all three...
Oh and maybe it should be on a geared bike in 53 -11. There you go, a new Olympic sport is born before your eyes.
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Need to check on the timing of a couple of other things I have planned for this weekend, but sounds like a laugh. Even without rocking backwards this could take a while - hopefully I will get my like a boss tee before the event so I can wear my skilz on my chest.
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^^^^^^@wrongcog
glad you and big paintbrush had a good and pleasant spin, and that you had your longest day in the saddle. I missed you guys whilst haring round Suffolk. (cue strava link of no interest to anyone but myself...)
http://app.strava.com/rides/8359694It was an interesting ride. I had been planning on doing the Suffolk sunrise on Saturday. It turned out that it was actually on Sunday and that I had written it in my diary on the wrong day. It also turned out that I couldn't do it on Sunday because I had to be back in London. So, I decided to do it solo on Saturday morning.
My garmin did it's current favourite trick of losing all interest in guiding me about 45 miles in (apart from an insulting single beep to tell me I'd arrived at my destination 5 minutes after I flopped, exhausted, off my bike at my in-laws pad). Fortunately, the signage was already in place, and was the most thorough I've ever experienced, so I didn't get lost once.
Weather forecasts instructed me to prepare for lashings of sunshine and to wear summery lightweight clothing. When the lead grey skies finally opened on me 40 miles in at dunwich and soaked my already numb feet and fingers I was this close ( holds thumb and forefinger so close together that nothing is visible between them) to admitting defeat and calling in the rescue team.
However, because I am a very hardy and resourceful person, and not in anyway because the pub at dunwich was closed, I soldiered on. After a while it warmed up a bit and I felt a little cheerier. However, my ambition to average over 19mph was being thwarted by an absolute thug of a headwind. Not only that but the rain had washed the last of the oil off my chain which began to sound embarrassingly wheezy. The ride not taking me past any wd40 merchants I decided to pull into a tractor dealership somewhere in the middle of nowhere. I'm pretty certain they're 'not on here' but big love going out to them, if you ever need a tractor, they're the boys... Not satisfied with just spraying a bit of oil on my chain, they insisted on cleaning off the grunge with a rag beforehand, and offering me a cup of tea. Not only that, but they made me feel like lance Armstrong or Edmund Hillary, by being starstruck that it is possible for a human being to cycle 100 miles. An assertion that needed repeating a goodly number of times, along with pointing at the, by now quasi-defunct garmin, in order to convince them of it's truth value.
After that things looked up: the sun came out, I began to head south, so the headwind started to become a tailwind, I was steaming along the flats at 25mph, I might even make my desired average speed. Unfortunately, the gods of blacktop were not on my side that day. At about 85 miles there was a 7-8 mile stretch of road that was about half an inch deep in loose gravel, and I couldn't go faster than 15mph without feeling like I was about to wash out. This coincided with the moment my body chose to rebel against the lack of fuel I'd been giving it, and did a little spot of bonking. Still at least there was no one around to hear me screaming at my stupid legs to man the fuck up.
It is amazing how a familiar stretch of road can lift your spirits, and when I cycled into Melton and knew I was only a few miles from home, I was able to get my chakras in a line and peg it like a CEO all the way home.
The awesomeness of the day was further augmented by the most amazing BBQed fillet steak I've ever eaten and more red wine than was strictly necessary in the evening.
As we were driving back this morning there were loads of riders out on the course - plus one or two fixed/ss riders. I'll definitely do it again next year, though maybe on the correct day this time, eh...
Castle 100 next week - life's too good...
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^^ That's quite an easy one, mind. I'm sure you could reclaim it without breaking too much of a sweat.
I'm after your crown on Point Hill in Greenwich! I haven't ridden it for ages and ages, but I used to train on it - 30 laps down Hyde Vale then up Point Hill. So it feels like I kinda own it. Only thing is that that was when I was young, fit and less fat. Might have to just let you keep it out of the goodness of my heart.
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Loads of riders out in Kent this morning/early afternoon. I'm sure someone must be on here. There was a guy with an orange and white top I met coming the other way on the pilgrims way on a bend near the Exedown climb, who looked kind of familiar.
I was wearing a black and red Campagnolo top, 3/4 length bibs and riding a white plastic Giant.
Fantastic ride - got a KOM and a few PBs and laid to rest the voodoo power that Exedown climb has over me! I only need to average 1.8mph faster to be up with Mr. BMMF (coz that's gonna happen...)
http://app.strava.com/rides/8046053
(forgot to start the lap for the first 10 miles - doh!)
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If you don't stop setting us up for big climbs Benj I'm going to think twice about riding with you you masochist! Tackling them when they're there is one thing but lining the buggers up is a whole other kettle of crayfish. I'm getting too wheezy and too portly to be following your 'Nago up mountains!
A future of touring the Norfolk broads awaits me clearly.
Quit your mewling, yo. Yous pretty good up a slope. When's your b.day? I want to buy you a cassette that will allow you to climb without having to rip your handlebars off doing a slow-motion impression of Mark cavendish...
The route I have planned for this weekend has some lovely gentle rolling bits, spesh for you dude!
How was your camping trip? Damp I'd wager...
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- Tiswas - Green - Large - No Text
- Knowthejo - Green - Large - NO TEXT on BACK
- Tenderloin - Pink - Large (what tee?)
- Danb - pink - small ladies
- Hovis - Green - Medium
- YesNoGame - Pink - Depends on how they come up. If it's a generous M then M, if it's not then an L please.
- Sheathy- Green-Large
- dimi3 - Green - Large [PAID]
- wiganwill - Green - large NO TEXT
- Hilly Ben - Green - Large PAID
- hoefla - green - small (mens)
- Sumo - green - medium
- Markypoos - green - large (depending on size) PAID
- Lolabelle - pink - medium, PAID
- Bullwinkle - Green - large
- Lasmo999 - Green - XXL
- homingmissle - Green - Medium (no text on the back if possible)
- mi7rennie - Green - Medium - NO TEXT - PAID
- drew87 - Pink - Medium
- 6pt - pink - medium (could I have it without the 'like a boss' on the back please?) PAID
- onyerbike - pink - Medium
- whittle - green - XS
- poocan - green - large
24.'brows- Pink- Medium - No Text please - Ada - pink - medium - no text - PAID
- jpb - green - large - no text please
- tumthelove - pink - Large
- ExTra - pink - ladies Large or men Medium. Possibly a Green too, depends on how the size fits
- Scoot
- wpo750 - pink - Large
- Mr Smile -Pink - Medium (Pm'ed)
- MikeTinsley - green extra large please
- Poots - pink, ladies large olease
- Orko42 - Pink, Medium. Many thanks. You have dorrar!
- JeSuisLeListKiller - green - medium (men) - No Text Please - PAID
- OSR - Green & Pink - medium - with text yo! PAID
- alkali - green - small (men) - No Text Please -
38 Benj - pink - Large (cheers)
- Tiswas - Green - Large - No Text
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Beautiful afternoon in SE London - so I gave myself permission to have the afternoon off and tootled into Kent. Similar ride to the one I did on Saturday, but just sooo much nicer in the sunshine - faster too...
http://app.strava.com/rides/7689791
I had been thinking about checking out some routes through St Mary Cray, but a fellow cyclist and Dad at my son's school warned me off. Apparently the last time he rode out that way some oik in a passing car leant out of the window and pushed him into the hedge - other of his friends have had similar experiences. That kind of thing scares the willies out of me - anyone here had bad experiences round that way?
Nice to be able to get a couple of cat 4 climbs into a sub 50 mile ride from home. Has anyone got any other loops in the vicinity of my ride that have good/challenging climbs?
Ben
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Lonesome roll round Kent and Surrey in the rain. Fairweather cycling buddies bailed on the morning!
Fabulous loop - beautiful scenery and some challenging climbs - Chalk Pit Lane - ouch!Gotta go and clean the filthy wheels now after a most satisfying nap...
Strava:
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I'm doing the Suffolk sunrise 100 in a couple of weeks. Sets off from Woodbridge and heads up inland then eastwards to southwold and back down the coast. Some lovely roads there - my in-laws live there, I've done a fair few rides nearby - and quite gently rolling, so it should be possible to cane the living daylights out of it with no fear of being hurted by big slopey bits.
It is organised by action medical research. Their rides tend to be well run, with good tucker to boot.
Easy fixed century. I, however, shall be using gears, as I have fully turned to the dark side...
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£625!
Come on folks - bargain here
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Price drop.
£650
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Actually, to be fair to Reece, the whole debacle was pretty much my fault. I initiated the duff filtering and then suggested the pavement section. Sorry for making you look uncool chum!
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^^ that was me.. I was admiring your bikes! ... and also smiling a little at how one of you got cut off by that van ..
That was me! Very poor cycling. Doubly amusing that I didn't see the van because I was turning around to comment on how how badly we'd just cycled!
Is it lame to try and claim that I think I am normally pretty good at judging those situations? Don't answer...
Anyway I was weary because I'd just climbed Shooter's like a boss, obvs...
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front brake/lever
Tis a Paul brake lever.
Okay I only have left the rear brake and the stem.
Everything else has gone. -
I went out for a ride yesterday, stupidly I didn’t bother looking up a decent route before I left the house and ended up taking in some pretty shitty bits of SE London and Kent (Welling, Dartford, St Mary Cray...) and really uninspiring A roads too. Wouldn’t recommend.
Must try harder.
Shame, you were near to some pretty nice riding... Head out through Swanley, once you have gone over the M20 take the next right and you'll be happy...
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Bars still wanted by me!
Sold to that man.
Other stuff still here:
Stem, wheels and brakes
Ben
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Epping then into Essex yesterday. Did a fall off.
Ahem... Understatement ahoy... more of a fly off I think.
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^^^^^^^^^
Love going through the Blackwall on a bike - you can get some wicked speeds drafting HGVs through there - and yous never too young to pick up them skillz. However, we took the long route and went through the Dartford tunnel. Thought I'd chuck the lad in at the deep end... (also made him ride clipped in and brakless with no helmet)
Actually the greenwich foot tunnel probably wasn't much less safe than the aforementioned river crossings. With all this pesky sun the great unwashed have been descending en-masse to Greenwich and Blackheath, and they have been leaving swathes of broken glass in their wake. Despite playing dodge the shards J still managed to puncture on a smashed beer bottle.