Ride Entry 30th July 2009

Bike: Vela
Distance: 30 miles

Quick daytime ride. I wish I could work from home all the time in summer actually. Start work at 7, work through till about 1, go out for a blast, finish up when I get home. Then work till midnight or something crazy like I normally do. But anyway, todays ride. Very windy, but still fairly quick. Not allowed to drop out of big and third which was right difficult in places, especially up the Belmont climb with the wind in my face but I did it.

Loads of shit drivers on the roads, not sure what brought them out but they needed a bloody good kick up the chuff.

Ride Entry – 29th july 2009

Bike: Vela
Distance: 28 miles

Crazy. That sums this ride up. Not the ride itself. I just thought it was a reasonably normal ride. Not hugely hilly but some reasonable climbs in there. And I was on the pedals on each one. Doing my job.

Got home, looked at my watch and then worked out the distance on mapmyride.  Worked out the average speed. Gawped, and checked again.

22mph average!!!! Over 28 miles.!!!! Fuck off! I knew I was going quickly but cripes! looks like the training plan is starting to pay off. Offroad this weekend. Hard offroad. 50 miler at least.

It’s raining now, really hard and lighytening too. Hope it is when I go out on Sunday, it’ll make me hard. Scared, but hard. But probably mostly scared.

Edit: I felt absolutelky fantastic too, all the way round. Ground went up in front of me, I just stood on the pedals, found a rythmn and pumped away. Even forced myself to stay in big ring and fourth or higher for the last 5 miles. That hurt but god-damn I went fast.

Ride Entry – 27th July 2009

Bike: Vela
Distance: 43 miles

Well not the monster ride I’d hoped for but it was raining all morning and I had loads to do. Didn’t leave the house till about 2pm. Anyway, really windy indeed. But still enjoyable. No real incidents or peaks to speak of. Passed quite a few people including a grey haired old lady. I was going to slow down and taunt her to see if she could put a spurt on but then remembered the last time I did that, best leave well alone.

Because of my crap performance, I’m going to force myself to ride punishment rides all week now.  Proper pain rides.

Ride Entry – 25th July 2009

bike: Vela
Distance: 27 miles

Tricky weekend, and indeed, tricky leading up to it.

Wednesday was only 9 miles because of the TT
Thursday ,No Chance.
Friday, Velodrome so probably a whole 5 miles at the most
Saturday, brithday party and going down the dirty old smoke so I had to fit in a very early quick morning ride, and how quick was it? Lightning! Same normally hilly ride I’ve been doing a lot recently but an 18mph average!! That’s freaking quick considering I climb virtually continuously from our house to the top of Walkers fold, drop back down into Belmont, then climb right over the top of Rivington and blast it for home.

Sunday is a lost day, bummer. might shoot out the door very early Monday morning, get a proper 50-60 mile ride in, go into work late, I have after all worked a lot of the weekend.

Ride Entry – 22nd July 2009

Bike: Vela
Distance: 9 miles

Now normally, the rule is, any distance under ten miles doesn’t count but since this was a TT and was quite possibly the hardest 20 minutes cycling I’ve ever done I’m gong easy on myself.

Very windy, although comparing times from the other chaps from a few weeks back, they seemed to do pretty much the same as normal so presumably this is the best I could have hoped for.

Ho hum, thought I’d be quicker than that. At least it’s a bit quicker than last time, but not much.

Ride Entry – 21st July 2009

Bike: Humu
Distance: 28 miles (2 * 14)

Good going there. Really got my into work/cleanup sequence sorted now. My shoes still reek or cat piss for reasons that shall remain unexplained so I have to seal them in a plastic bag at work. I’ve found some other toilets in the print room that are much better for getting changed in before setting off home so I don’t have to walk round the outside of the warehouse now.

Coming back was OK. Bit rainy. *another* van driver has issues with me. I dunno, they overtake, immediately turn left and *then* they take objection to being called wankers. He got out of the van so I stopped and watched him as he ranted and boiled about some pithy napoleon complex he was experiencing. He looked ever so confused and frustrated, like a toddler who’s tricycle has been kicked over. I got bored after a bit but it really was quite sad watching his impotent rants… Not like me, eh?

Rest of the ride was fine, but very wet and muddy. Passed a very attractive young lady walking up a muddy path in her clean clothes gingerly. She was on the phone and regarded me suspiciously as I passed.

Ride Entry – 20th July 2009

bike: Vela
Distance: 31 miles

Lovely evening ride in the sun. Mostly ok and I rode quite well, wind could have been a little bit less but never mind. Only one incident of note. Right on the top of Rivington a van passed me and the mirror went past my shoulder about 6 inches away. I swore and shouted before I’d even thought about it but the van just carried on. He then stopped (I presume to confront me), waited until I caught right up with him and then floored it off. Then he nailed it down the hill and got stuck behind a learner driver. I caught up with them and rolled along behind him. I could hear him and his mate shouting out the window at me and the one time I tried to pass he started gobbing out the window. All the time right up the arse of the learner driver. What a complete fucking bell end with a tiny cock.

Ride Entry – 19th July 2009

Bike: Vela
Distance: 32 miles

Freaking ace ride. Started out with a stinking headache and didn’t really feel like doing much so elected to do a flattish ride round our house so I could bug out when I needed to. Once I reached Abram though, my head started clearing, I started feeling a lot better and decided I would go further and hillier.

Good job I did too because when I got up on those pedals and started pushing, the world came together. Flying up those hills. Really enjoyed the climb up to Aspull, didn;t even noticed the climb to Horwich and then the the climb from Horwich up to the top by Walkers fold was most entertaining, really got my rythmn right and got there no problem. Then a lot of downhill and the lights were always right all the way back to Westhoughton. Fucking pinned it all the way, every roundabout was an opportunity to get my knee right out, bike right over, brilliant fun.

Got home too soon but then my headache started again. Suddenly realised I’ve eaten nothing all day apart from a few grapes….aaaah, that’ll be it.

Edit: Just realised, that’s over 200 miles in 8 days. Sweet!

Double Edit: And I want to go out for another ride now…. hmmmm.

Ride Entry – 18th July 2009

Bike:Vela
Distance: 28 miles

Quick hilly blast. Very windy, the climb up over Rivington was hardcore hard. No chance orf coming fast down the otherside, the headwind was immense! Best bit was riding home along Chorley new road. I was riding along towards the Reebok at about 30 on the slight uphill bit with a great tailwind and some lads in a car passed me and shouted out the window I was doing 35. They said get behind us and we’ll speed up so I did and they did. They gradually accelerated with me tucked in behind them as we went over the brow and started on the slight downhill bit and they were waving out the back window the speed we were doing. Personally i think their speedo was well out because they reckoned we were doing 45 at one point (probably nearer 40 I think). Anyway, we caught up with this van doing about 30 and the driver just went to overtake it so I stuck on his tail and went with him. Wish I could have seen the drivers face as I passed at warp speed.

Really hard work though but by the time we reached the roundabout I was so pumped full of adrenaline I’d started feeling sick. Still managed to pass the lads on the approach though and fired myself across the roundabout with a bit shit eating grin on my face with their cheers ringing in my ears. Great to find some nice lads in a car who don’t jeer or gob out the window at me.

Edit: you may think I’ve been crap and missed a days riding out (the 17th) but not so, Friday night is Velodrome night and although it’s a lot easier than going out riding, it’s still being on a bike for an hour.

Ride Entry – 16th July 2009

bike:Vela
Distance: 31 miles

Got up right early (but not early enough for a morning ride), started work at 7 am from home. Worked solid straight through to 1:30, that’s almost a full day right there. Looked outside, sun shining, kitted up and went out for a blast. Had plans of beating my 49mph record down the Rivington road. Up round the back of winter hill with my phone ringing every fucking five minutes. Didn’t bother stopping, just answered the calls with the wind blowing over the phone, cool. Any questions about where I was were answered with ‘It’s in my diary’, which I’d left as a meeting ‘Site visit – water’. (For those of you who don’t know, I do work for a major Utility provider and Rivington, being owned by that provider, is effectively one of their water sites) – see what I did there.

Anyway, all went really well, climbed great, really enjoying myself. Start the last big climb up to the top of Rivington and the rain starts. Proper rain. Caning it down by the time I reach the top and by the time I reach the descent it’s a maelstrom. I can’t see 20 feet, the rain is blasting into my face, coating my glasses, there’s a vicious headwind, my jacket is collecting all the wind, the road is just one big stream and my brakes don’t work. I make the attempt but this is just a suicide attempt and after hitting 43mph, I back off.

Get soaked riding home, caught all the school out traffic, saw an absolutely beautiful woman picking up her kid in Horwich, our eyes locked as I passed and she smiled at me, which was nice. I powered through the traffic all the way home then and the rain stopped, oooh about 5 seconds after I’d ridden onto my drive.

Not bad then, enjoying this loop, it’s nice and hilly, has some stonking climbs in it and I’m really starting to get into the swing of charging up them. Being fit is ace!!!