Another trip up to Hamsterley on Thursday; the fourth in eight days, which is unheard of riding frequency for me. Dropped down (Section 13 then up the Transmission climb and down Transmission, Accelerator, Nitrous) before heading up the road climb out of the forest.
Felt much better than last ride, after a day off on Thursday, and got a mix of fastest or very close to fastest times (for me) on the climbs, and went down the off-road stuff faster than usual too. Turns out, I get faster at riding a bike if I ride a bike; who'd have thought?
Apple juice and pork pie fueling seemed to do the trick. The pies were nice and peppery, but I'm looking forward to trying the ones with apple in next time. A mix of plain, pickle and apple should be good for Kielder100 this year.
There was even enough enough sun to finally start this year's ridiculous cyclist's tan.
Distance: 83km (31km Darlington to Woodland, 20km from Woodland into/round the forest and back again, and 32km back home again)
Surface: Road and off-road
Time: 4:25 (1:45 + 1:10 + 1:30)
Weather: Warm and dry
Bike: Inbred SS (with 2.4″ tyres on 32:17)
Friday, 20 July 2012
Wednesday, 18 July 2012
Back to Hamsterley
Back up to Hamsterley again on Tuesday. Legs were feeling tired after Monday's ride so I just did three laps of Section 13 and then headed home. Pretty pleased with knocking 12 seconds of my previous best for Section 13, but all the climbs on the way out were slower and overall time on the ride out was much longer
But, despite the forecast, it didn't rain.
Taken Wednesday off to rest, eat and watch Le Tour. Back out again on Thursday...
Distance: 75km (31km Darlington to Woodland, 13km from Woodland into/round the forest and back again, and 31km back home again)
Surface: Road and off-road
Time: 4:20 (1:54 + 0:54+ 1:30)
Weather: Warm and dry
Bike: Inbred SS (with 2.4″ tyres on 32:17)
But, despite the forecast, it didn't rain.
Taken Wednesday off to rest, eat and watch Le Tour. Back out again on Thursday...
Distance: 75km (31km Darlington to Woodland, 13km from Woodland into/round the forest and back again, and 31km back home again)
Surface: Road and off-road
Time: 4:20 (1:54 + 0:54+ 1:30)
Weather: Warm and dry
Bike: Inbred SS (with 2.4″ tyres on 32:17)
Tuesday, 17 July 2012
Darlington – Hamsterley – Darlington again
As last Friday, up to Hamsterley by the usual route. Hit the ‘old new’ trails at Hamsterley (Section 13, Special K, Brain Freeze), then along the Grove Link and climbed direct to the top of the ‘new new’ trails (Transmission, Accelerator, Nitrous) before riding home. Used the road climb out of the forest, instead of the big push up past the DH hut, which is further but ridable.
I was slower down all the descents that last week, but it was very wet, but faster up all the climbs and faster overall. Plan is to do this ride every day this week, so we'll see how that drops away as the week goes on.
The tri bag was great for food; looks dorky but works well.
Food was two litres of apple juice diluted with 2 litres of water, plus four mini pork pies. One pork pie after every hour and drinking steadily throughout seemed to work fine.
Distance: 85km (31km Darlington to Woodland, 23km from Woodland into/round the forest and back again, and 31km back home again)
Surface: Road and off-road
Time: 4:36 (1:38 + 1:27 + 1:31)
Weather: Cold and wet
Bike: Inbred SS (with 2.4″ tyres on 32:17)
I was slower down all the descents that last week, but it was very wet, but faster up all the climbs and faster overall. Plan is to do this ride every day this week, so we'll see how that drops away as the week goes on.
The tri bag was great for food; looks dorky but works well.
Food was two litres of apple juice diluted with 2 litres of water, plus four mini pork pies. One pork pie after every hour and drinking steadily throughout seemed to work fine.
Distance: 85km (31km Darlington to Woodland, 23km from Woodland into/round the forest and back again, and 31km back home again)
Surface: Road and off-road
Time: 4:36 (1:38 + 1:27 + 1:31)
Weather: Cold and wet
Bike: Inbred SS (with 2.4″ tyres on 32:17)
Friday, 13 July 2012
Darlington - Hamsterley - Darlington
A rare sunny day and a much-needed bike ride.
Up to Hamsterley by the usual route, but feeling really good on the climbs. Hit the 'old new' trails at Hamsterley (Section 13, Special K, Brain Freeze), then along the Grove Link and found the climb direct to the top of the 'new new' trails (Transmission, Accelerator, Nitrous), and couldn't resist dropping down Section 13 again. All the new stuff is great fun and has held up absolutely brilliantly to all the recent heavy rain; riding at Hamsterley isn't the mudfest it used to be.
I surprised myself with how well I was climbing, as I've not been riding that much recently. Being a few kilos lighter must be helping. It's only 5kg or so, but that makes me about 7% lighter, which must help.
Definitely need to get up to Hamsterley more often; with some early starts, I could do that ride and be home late morning. I need a lot more practice riding off-road before Kielder 100 in a couple of months; climbing fine but slow downhill and my shoulders are sore this morning.
New Camelbak worked well - great to not have to faff about swapping bottles around. With a bottle on the frame, I had best part of four litres of fluid (half apple juice and half water). I think for Kielder I'm going to have to use the dorky tri bag on the frame for eating on the go, as the pack made it hard to reach into jersey pockets. Food was four mini pork pies, eaten roughly one per hour and a handful of chocolate raisins for the ride home. For Kielder, I should be able to steal Trio's tactic of skipping the first water/feed station, and so missing out on the queue and gaining 10 minutes or so, plus a lot of saved overtaking, early on.
Distance: 83km (31km Darlington to Woodland, 20km from Woodland into/round the forest and back again, and 32km back home again)
Surface: Road and off-road
Time: 4:45 (1:42 + 1:38 + 1:25)
Weather: Warm and sunny!
Bike: Inbred SS (with 2.4″ tyres on 32:17)
Up to Hamsterley by the usual route, but feeling really good on the climbs. Hit the 'old new' trails at Hamsterley (Section 13, Special K, Brain Freeze), then along the Grove Link and found the climb direct to the top of the 'new new' trails (Transmission, Accelerator, Nitrous), and couldn't resist dropping down Section 13 again. All the new stuff is great fun and has held up absolutely brilliantly to all the recent heavy rain; riding at Hamsterley isn't the mudfest it used to be.
I surprised myself with how well I was climbing, as I've not been riding that much recently. Being a few kilos lighter must be helping. It's only 5kg or so, but that makes me about 7% lighter, which must help.
Definitely need to get up to Hamsterley more often; with some early starts, I could do that ride and be home late morning. I need a lot more practice riding off-road before Kielder 100 in a couple of months; climbing fine but slow downhill and my shoulders are sore this morning.
New Camelbak worked well - great to not have to faff about swapping bottles around. With a bottle on the frame, I had best part of four litres of fluid (half apple juice and half water). I think for Kielder I'm going to have to use the dorky tri bag on the frame for eating on the go, as the pack made it hard to reach into jersey pockets. Food was four mini pork pies, eaten roughly one per hour and a handful of chocolate raisins for the ride home. For Kielder, I should be able to steal Trio's tactic of skipping the first water/feed station, and so missing out on the queue and gaining 10 minutes or so, plus a lot of saved overtaking, early on.
Distance: 83km (31km Darlington to Woodland, 20km from Woodland into/round the forest and back again, and 32km back home again)
Surface: Road and off-road
Time: 4:45 (1:42 + 1:38 + 1:25)
Weather: Warm and sunny!
Bike: Inbred SS (with 2.4″ tyres on 32:17)
Monday, 2 July 2012
Newsham Moor bivvy ride
"But what if a fox eats your face?"
Our friend Ann didn't understand why I was going to sleep in a bag in a field on my own. I don't think Sarah did either, but she's used to me doing odd things by now.
So, sit at home and watch Graham Norton on TV, or go for a ride, kip somewhere and ride back again? I loaded up my bike.
I've plans for the summer, so this was a chance to test out my new Alpkit Hunka bivvy bag. I say new, but like most bivvy bags it's sat accusingly in the wardrobe not being used for a year or so. It was also a chance for me to see just how terrifying it was to go to sleep along in a field.
It turns out, it's not scary at all, though it is light until very, very late so I alternated between reading a book inside the bag when it rained and watching the clouds blow overhead and the lights coming on in the valley below when it didn't rain.
I slept on and off through the night. A £7 sleeping bag from Tesco is cheap and light, but not particularly warm, even when wearing a warm jacket and a merino base layer. Not cold enough to make me think about taking a heavier bag next time though.
As well as being light until very late, the sun makes a very early appearance, with the sky starting to get light at about 3:30. I probably only slept for two or three hours altogether.
So, at just after 4am, I packed up and headed home.
Home by six for a couple of hours of coffee and internet before anyone else was up; not a bad way to spend a half a day.
I knew I'd either love or hate bivvying. I think I'm hooked...
Distance: 60km (30km there and 30km back)
Surface: Road
Time: 3:40 riding time, but out of the house for 11 hours
Weather: Warm, windy, a few showers
Bike: Inbred SS (with 2.4″ rear tyre on 32:17)
Kit/setup
Alpkit Hunka bivvy bag, with Tesco sleeping bags inside, in a 13l Alpkit Airlock Xtra dry bag and bungied to the bars. Bivvy bag was ace and sleeping bag adequate. Need to get better straps for next time as the bungy only just fit.
Alpkit Wee Airic camping mat carried in a 20l Alpkit Gourdon rucsac, along with warm/spare clothes, water, book, torch and some spare food. This was too heavy; need to look into a frame bag and/or seatpost pack.
Our friend Ann didn't understand why I was going to sleep in a bag in a field on my own. I don't think Sarah did either, but she's used to me doing odd things by now.
So, sit at home and watch Graham Norton on TV, or go for a ride, kip somewhere and ride back again? I loaded up my bike.
I've plans for the summer, so this was a chance to test out my new Alpkit Hunka bivvy bag. I say new, but like most bivvy bags it's sat accusingly in the wardrobe not being used for a year or so. It was also a chance for me to see just how terrifying it was to go to sleep along in a field.
It turns out, it's not scary at all, though it is light until very, very late so I alternated between reading a book inside the bag when it rained and watching the clouds blow overhead and the lights coming on in the valley below when it didn't rain.
I slept on and off through the night. A £7 sleeping bag from Tesco is cheap and light, but not particularly warm, even when wearing a warm jacket and a merino base layer. Not cold enough to make me think about taking a heavier bag next time though.
As well as being light until very late, the sun makes a very early appearance, with the sky starting to get light at about 3:30. I probably only slept for two or three hours altogether.
So, at just after 4am, I packed up and headed home.
Home by six for a couple of hours of coffee and internet before anyone else was up; not a bad way to spend a half a day.
I knew I'd either love or hate bivvying. I think I'm hooked...
Distance: 60km (30km there and 30km back)
Surface: Road
Time: 3:40 riding time, but out of the house for 11 hours
Weather: Warm, windy, a few showers
Bike: Inbred SS (with 2.4″ rear tyre on 32:17)
Kit/setup
Alpkit Hunka bivvy bag, with Tesco sleeping bags inside, in a 13l Alpkit Airlock Xtra dry bag and bungied to the bars. Bivvy bag was ace and sleeping bag adequate. Need to get better straps for next time as the bungy only just fit.
Alpkit Wee Airic camping mat carried in a 20l Alpkit Gourdon rucsac, along with warm/spare clothes, water, book, torch and some spare food. This was too heavy; need to look into a frame bag and/or seatpost pack.
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