Bike:Vela
Distance:45 miles
Not sure what was going on today. I did start out immediately after eating tea and felt really bloated for a while so that might have slowed me down a bit. Lovely night for a ride though, lots of people out on their bikes, some were even out for a race. Sorry guys.
45 miles, 1046m of climbing, 18.3mph average, 49mph top speed. That’s a proper ride. Felt freaking great when I got home, could have gone out and done it again.
Bike:Vela
Distance: 81 miles
Well that didn’t go as planned. Set off on the Pimpino for an almighty day blast offroad. Was going to aim for 100 miles. Got …..oooh, 4 miles when the cranks started creaking really loudly. I tried tightening the drive side up but as I did I could hear loads of grit crunching so decided against it. Back home, check the handjob, flat tyre, it’s had a slow for ages and I just couldn’t be arsed so I got my Vela out (again).
Still, good long ride, 81 miles at 18mph average sounds just fine to me. Especially since the wind was in my face unless I was heading directly East.
A complete BELL END overtook me in Ince on the way home and then screeched left into a petrol station, I locked the back wheel braking and just missed his dog shit coloured Fiat, not that yet another dent would make much difference to it’s looks. I was going to follow him in but then I got a good look at him. Dangerous looking meathead with tattoos all over his neck, probably not worth it then. Fuckwit. He’ll live his life between a dead end job, the dole, sitting in the pub and watching overpaid morons running around a field and shouting at his chain smoking aggressive wife and spawn. I reckon that’s punishment enough.
Edit: Oh, and that’s 254 miles for the week, thoroughly impressive for me but clearly not for 360+ miles in one week Matt, offroad like a crazy fo!
Bike: Vela
Distance:42 miles
42 miles of POWER!!! Very windy (obviously), which gave me a nice push on the way to Rivington but totally gobbed me up for the rest of the ride. I didn’t notice though because once i was warmed up I entered a place that no-one could reach me in. It was a very beautiful place where I didn’t feel pain or hunger or thirst or fatigue. Only two things had to be done to keep me in this place, 1. Avoid getting killed by a car, 2. Keep pedalling, fucking hard.
And I did it for a while. It was great!Up over to Walkers fold, down to Belmont, back up over to rivington, Horwich, back up to walkers fold, back over to Belmont, back over the tops to Rivington, POWERMUNGA!
Of course, like all beautiful things, it eventually had to turn to shit. I cannoned up out of Lostock, big massive roundabout, round in the inside lane overtaking cars, as I reached the far side the wind banged across at 90 miles an hour and nearly blew me under a lorry. Scared the pants off me, and the lorry driver. Ho hum.
42 miles, 1007m climbing, 18.0 mph average, very good. My total average was exactly the same as my moving average too which describes what sort of ride this was.
Bike:Vela
Distance:27 miles
Short but fast ride. Still very windy mind. Not much climbing, say 550m, 18.9mph average. Legs felt heavy.
In better news, my son got his Youth track accreditation and I got my pink slip today at the ‘drome, sweet!
Bike: Pimpino
Distance:32 miles
First proper ride out on my pimpino and I loved it! Brakes were the wrong way round, I’ve forgotten how to ride a fixie when I’m not on a track, I’ve forgotten how to ride a rigid bike offroad and it was great! Forks are a tad long but not unsurmountable, by the end of the ride I was actually getting on quite well with them, it’s quite a relaxed riding style. 44:17 is a proper mans gear and no mistake though, actually I think it’s a bit too butch even for me, it’s just really, really hard work and I doubt I’ll be passing anyone up rocky climbs with it, properly need to add a couple of teeth on the back 
And this phil wood cog was bloody expensive.) ((
Anyway, as I was riding I was thinking up analogies for me building theis bike, then taking it out for a ride and not enjoying it as much as I thought I would, but none of them apply, because I really rather liked it. Just need to stop being so macho about the gearing and get it changed.
Bike: Vela
Distance: 42 miles
When will the wind stop blowing? This is the windiest year ever in the history of mankind. Very windy again. Went to Sandcastle world in the morning with my son, followed by an all you can eat buffet at Pizza hut. Got home, had a nap, woke up feeling like someone had filled my tummy with lead. Set off on the ride and felt gash. Very almost turned back. Fighting into the wind didn’t help either, very slow at the start.
Didn;t really start feeling ok until I’d been right round winter hill, up over through Belmont and back down to rivington. Climbed out of Horwich to Walkers fold, started feeling great! So I went over walkers fold to Belmont and back over to Rivington again, and then did the climb back out of Horwch to Walkers fold again!
Downhill all the way to Lostock and then warp speed from there all the way home. Almost died on a big roundabout because I was riding round it so fast, mortals in their tin cans simply couldn’t assimilate the speed and pulled out on me.
42 miles, 1006m climbing, positively laughable 17.6mph average. I’ll beat myself with a stick tonight.
Bike: Vela
Distance:30 miles
18.3 mph average, 500m of climbing.
Christ samuri! Were you on a recovery day or something? Did one of your legs fall off?
Nope, but it was *really* windy. Very hard work and dark when I got home. And it was the most dangerous ride I’ve done in a long time, 3 people passed me and turned left straight away within the first 5 miles. Then a landrover overtook me on the tops and I caught him on the descent into Rivington (46mph top speed). Then as I was building my way up to full on throttle along Chorley new road, some kid had the audacity to cross at a pelican crossing and it ruined my flow. Bit crap really, must try harder, C-.
full on throttle
I’m not really allowed to open ‘er up full within 5 miles of dense housing but they’ll have to catch me to nick me.
Term coined by Jo.
I finally built up my new bike. A white pompino, tricked out with expensive kit, a lot bloody more expensive than I anticipated too. I *almost* went white everything including white spokes and white chain but that would have been just stupid, thanks to Tim or talking me out of that one.
Forks are Karate Monkey’s, beautiful Cane Creek levers and quite delicious White Industries cranks.
I have to thank On-one/planet-X, Charlie the Bike Monger who was a lot of help at the start, Tim at Sideways Cycles and finally my employers who have elected to make me work just about every weekend going and a lot of nights through the week which has ensured the samuri coffers are overflowing enough to enable blatant frippery like this to go ahead.
And yes, those are white pedals.
Anyway, might as well just let the pictures do the talking. All are clickable.
Loads more on my flickr page.
Bike: Vela
Distance:62 miles
Woke up late. Possibly something to do with having a few beers the night before. Didn’t leave the house till 8 so elected to go for a flattish and fast route. Felt like crap too, see above, so didn’t really start getting any decent power down until I’d been riding for about an hour. Glazebury, Glazebrook, over Warburton bridge, Lymm, Warrington, Prescot, St Helens, Billinge, picked up route 91 in WIgan and followed it to Adlington and rode home from there.
62 miles, 19mph average and 750 metres of climbing.
I beat last weeks mileage count too, 185 miles in total. Nice. Trying for no days off next week, plus a big ride on Sunday, see if I can push it over 200 for the week.
Bike:Vela
Distance:36 miles
Lovely Saturday morning ride. 36 miles, 800m of climbing, 18.6mph average. Very good. Plenty of people on bikes out too, some were even trying to go fast. I felt a bit sorry for the chap going up the Belmont climb to the tops who seemed fairly shocked to be passed. I guess he thought he was going quite quickly. 
Ran out of gears on the way back down, need a bigger chain ring I think, flat out pedalling, bike was wobbling around I was spinning that fast and I still only got to 48mph.
My GPS Came back from the repair shop too, and they’ve repaired it. Sweet!
Edit: And that’s 123 miles for the week so far, just need to knock out a >50 miler tomorrow and I beat last weeks mileage. Wonder if I can get 77 miles in and call it an even 200 for the week…..? It would mean a road ride, and not a hugely hilly one….or I could do the ride I just did, twice….hmmmm.
diary, rides | admin | 
August 18, 2009 9:55 pm | 
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