Cycling 2025

[Nickslikk2112]

Thought I'd better get out today as the forecast's not too good for the next couple of days. There was a slight chance of a shower in today's forecast, but I really wanted to get out to get 33 miles in to get me half way to 500 for the month. There wasn't that much chance of getting wet.

WRONG! At my furthest point from home it absolutely lashed it down. Really big raindrops that felt like hail when they hit you. My Garmin even came up with a warning I'd never seen before for slippery roads. Not that that bothered me as the rain washed all the salt build up from inside my helmet into my eyes, so I was reduced to a crawl. Must wash out the helmet linings more often.

Back on 32.98 miles which thankfully was enough to get to 250.

https://www.strava.com/activities/15800199933/

[Slim]

Dry conditions were forecast, but with relatively high winds. I thought of doing a fondo, but changed my mind and decided just to do a Bypasser instead. Then after Packington, I changed my mind back and took the right at Measham to embark upon the Westbound Route.

However, a few spots of rain and the realisation that I'd forgotten to lube the bike (Boardman I) after hosing the chain out with GT-85 the other day changed my mind back again, after Netherseal.

I wasn't overly concerned about running the chain on GT-85. Some people do use it as a lube. I used to myself, on my old hybrid. But it's not ideal. So I turned back. Rejoined my usual Twycrosser route at Snarestone. Down to Sheepy, across to Barton in the Beans, home via Heather and Ibstock. In essence, my ride was a Twycrosser with an excursion out west tacked on. Back on 60.99km.

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Cold when I set off but temperatures climbed nicely into the afternoon. Sadly, the Boardman's front wheel has picked up about half a mm of wobble again. I suppose the bearings need to be replaced. Or I might just buy new wheels for Boardman II and swap them round.

Must remember to lube it anyway tomorrow.

https://www.strava.com/activities/15831018885

[Thenop]

I see what you did there, trying to hide it behind a fence and hoping no one would notice did you?

[Nickslikk2112]

Cleaned and lubed the Bianchi chain yesterday, just about within a dry slot. Relubed it with dry lube, probably not the best idea with the forecast as it is, but then I try not to ride in the rain. And September is still Astronomical Summer, so I don't like the thought of going onto the Winter Wet lube.

Bereft of ideas of where to ride and with so many local roads still being either shut or with traffic light controlled roadworks I repeated last Tuesday's ride. Probably won't be able to do that after the end of September as the road under Chesterfield station is shutting until next February. Allegedly.

Had to wait until 11 to get out to make sure most of the showers had gone by. It did rain a bit occasionally but nothing much. It took me 14 seconds longer for the 42.39 miles today, I was running ahead of schedule most of the way round, but the strong Westerly meant a slower end to the ride. Good to be consistent though.

https://www.strava.com/activities/15830139362/

[Nickslikk2112]

It's been a bit of a damp squib so far has September, not that reservoir levels are responding yet. Yesterday was a complete wash out and today started off with heavy drizzle. However it had almost abated by 11:30 so I set out to get a couple of hours in.

The almost abation [sic] didn't last long as it got a bit drizzly again for half an hour, but then fizzled out again. The only trouble is the roads don't dry as quickly now it's a bit cooler - although it was plenty warm enough - and with less sun.

I was going to say that the roads were busy today, except that it was only when I got to junctions that there was lots of vehicular activity, when I was actually riding along the roads were quite empty apart from the occasional boy racer.

Back with 32 miles in almost two hours exactly. I'll settle for that, it puts me ahead of where I need to be for the month and even if the weekend is a bit wet next weeks looks as if it may calm down a bit.

https://www.strava.com/activities/15853407568

[Nickslikk2112]

With the weekend's forecast not being too sparkling, like last week I thought I'd better get out today.

Once again being totally bereft of ideas of where to go I repeated last Friday's ride. To spice things up a bit I missed out a loop I put in to get to 40 miles and did two laps round another loop. It got me to 41 miles this week. Despite trying to take it steadily Strava says I put on more effort this week to achieve the same average speed. I blame a shift in wind direction from SW to SSW

https://www.strava.com/activities/15864405974

[Slim]

A warm dry day was forecast, with a moderate wind from the south. But it wasn't the best day for a fondo, because I had to drive 'er indoors to Birmingham Airport at 0400. I did think of setting off as soon as I got back, at about 0515. The outdoor temperature was a reasonable 15C. But I went back to bed.

Up at 1100 though and away by about 1150. I thought initially of doing the usual southbound route, then had the idea of doing the Meriden Gap route instead. Only done it a couple of times. A bit of an adventure.

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So I did that. For a change I went all the way to the roundabout on the A5 on the outbound leg. It's not a lot of fun, but then neither is the hill climb you have to do to avoid it.

Really nice to go down that way again. It was indeed a lovely warm day. There are some lovely stretches of quiet roads down the Gap.

Went as far as Meriden and the Cyclist's Memorial. Then I turned back. Didn't risk the roundabout on the A5 on the return leg. Suicidal that way round.

I stopped at the butcher's shed at the garden centre along Trinity Road. It would be a perfect cyclist's stop if they did cold drinks. But their samosas and pork pies are fantastic.

106.20km and that's 543 this month now.

I listened mostly to the Lewisohn Beatles bio. It's just amazing to hear about the folks at various record companies who rejected them in early 1962 because they didn't think they had commercial potential. They must have had their heads in their hands a year later.

https://www.strava.com/activities/15867611878

[Thenop]

I see some has difficulty reading signs.

[Slim]

A dry day but cold in the morning. However I only wanted to do about 60km. Waited until it was mild enough - about 1225 - and set off along the eastbound route.

I went the "alternative" way via Walton and Paudy Crossroads. The temperature climbed nicely after the first 20km or so and it was lovely with the sun out, so I decided I'd make a fondo of it. Didn't go all the way to Eastwell. Since I'd lengthened the route with a detour I estimated that I'd be back on 100km, if I came back via Rempstone and Wymeswold, if I turned back after 50.8km or so. So I did.

I was wrong actually, as I realised by reference to various distance landmarks on the way back. What I really need is a GPS sensitive, map-aware voice activated AI on my phone. I suppose everyone will have one in ten years.

Anyway I made up the distance I needed to by detouring via Griffydam and Coleorton on the way back.

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Really a lovely run out, especially later on in the late afternoon sunshine. Glorious, especially gliding along the long, shallow descent along Six Hills Lane. Oddly, despite the bright sunshine, a few spots of rain appeared for a few minutes.

Listened to footy and more of the Beatles bio. Back on 100.78.

https://www.strava.com/activities/15891675700

[Nickslikk2112]

Bought myself some new cycling kit this week. One of my Le Col outfits was wearing a bit thin on the rear of the bib-shorts. I thought I'd only had them a couple of years, but turns out it was four years ago, so they've given good service.

Found a good offer on some Castelli kit. Now I'd always said I'd eschew Castelli as it seemed to be the preferred gear of the typical arrogant MAMIL of the "All the Gear but No Idea" persuasion - usually to be found labouring away on a Pinarello. But, it was a good offer.

Of course I had to test it out as new gear makes you faster (it doesn't) although I may have gone more quickly then intended as the shorts are about two inches shorter in the leg than my Le Col ones and it was exposing my tanlines - the Velominati will kill me!

It was a bit cool in the late afternoon, but I warmed up to get 31 miles in. It'll do.

https://www.strava.com/activities/15891199059/

[Nickslikk2112]

Weather on the cool side again, but I run a bit warm when I get going and going out in the morning means it should warm up into the afternoon, which it did.

Went out and did a ride I'd not done since early July, too many roadworks have put me off going out that way, but they've gone now. However there was new set and I had intended not to do what I did and not go all the way to the tops, but I managed to time my arrival at the roadworks at such a time where the lights turned green not long after I got there so all was good.

Should really have stopped to snap some pictures out over the Peak District as the air was very clear today, but it had clouded over a bit reducing the sharpness of the landscape so I didn't bother.

Ended up with my best ever average speed over that ride, which surprised me. Must have been the NNE wind direction.

https://www.strava.com/activities/15909018186/

[Slim]

Another dry day, cold in the morning again. Still pretty cold when I set off as well, with a fairly firm intention to do a fondo, which I did. I was going to do a bog standard Eastbound, but had the idea of descending to Long Clawson so I could glide along Long Lane for a bit.

Stopped at the caff at Clawson and treated myself to a bit of cake and a pork pie. Bit of drama when their card reader wouldn't work, but they managed to resuscitate it with a charger.

It's nice to come back the "old" way through Upper Broughton and Willoughby. The only bummer is that the roads are dog rough in parts. I did get off track a couple of times as well. Years since I did it regularly.

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Very annoyingly my bike computer stopped working for a few km and even more annoyingly I wasn't able to upload the track to a GPX editor so I could repair it. So I plotted an identical route on ridewithgps and it came to 120km.

Listened mostly to the Beatles bio.

Glad to have got another fondo in this month; I've now done five fondos in seven consecutive months. Before this year I'd never had more than two consecutive quintuple fondo months. And that was my 250th fondo since January 2015.

https://www.strava.com/activities/15913560705

[Thenop]

I see where your concern on those test flights is coming from. .

[Thenop]

A dry day but cold in the morning. However I only wanted to do about 60km. Waited until it was mild enough - about 1225 - and set off along the eastbound route.

I went the "alternative" way via Walton and Paudy Crossroads. The temperature climbed nicely after the first 20km or so and it was lovely with the sun out, so I decided I'd make a fondo of it. Didn't go all the way to Eastwell. Since I'd lengthened the route with a detour I estimated that I'd be back on 100km, if I came back via Rempstone and Wymeswold, if I turned back after 50.8km or so. So I did.

I was wrong actually, as I realised by reference to various distance landmarks on the way back. What I really need is a GPS sensitive, map-aware voice activated AI on my phone. I suppose everyone will have one in ten years.

Anyway I made up the distance I needed to by detouring via Griffydam and Coleorton on the way back.

Highslide Image Viewer

Really a lovely run out, especially later on in the late afternoon sunshine. Glorious, especially gliding along the long, shallow descent along Six Hills Lane. Oddly, despite the bright sunshine, a few spots of rain appeared for a few minutes.

Listened to footy and more of the Beatles bio. Back on 100.78.

https://www.strava.com/activities/15891675700

I suppose this was a fondeau?

[Nickslikk2112]

Been hearing a funny noise from the front wheel of my Bianchi when I've got home over the last few days. Thought it might have been disc rotor rub on the pads, but no. Could it be the wheel bearings? No. Took the wheel off last night and it's coming from within the rim. Suspicion now is that sealant has got inside the rim and solidified into balls. Most probably, as I took off the tyre and there was no sealant left in. New sealant has removed the noise.

Late getting out today as I was waiting for a delivery which had to be signed for, luckily it came quite early within its timeslot so I was able to get out for a couple of hours.

Managed to find a bit of rain as well, wasn't forecast and it did look pretty grim over Bolsover - but that's Bozer for you - it didn't last long however and there was no need to cut things short. Whilst I was hoping for a 40 miler, the 32 I got in will do. Another ride like that in the next six days gets me to 500 for September.

https://www.strava.com/activities/15920795943/