I really feared the worst this week, far too much drinking and eating the wrong stuff (as Alan can testify from Rockingham! ).

I'd been secretly hoping the conditions would be worse this week so I could do a slower or similar time and blame the weather

Another great turnout of 16 or 17 and they moved me from number 1 to number 6 - partly because I am improving but also because some poor souls were doing their first of the season

Anyway, I really shocked myself this week, average heart rate was similar at 178 but I knocked 46 seconds off of last week's time with a stonking 30:12 - just 5 seconds off my all time PB !

And this is with my old school bike still - not sure exactly when I'll go back to my lightweight speedy bike, maybe when I can go no faster with this thing

Couldn't do the TT last week as I was in Scotland and spent the evening watching Liverpool beat Chelsea

So I went out the previous Sunday and did 51.8 miles in 3 and a 1/2 hours

Will see what happens tomorrow

SteveS wrote

Couldn't do the TT last week as I was in Scotland and spent the evening watching Liverpool beat Chelsea

Are you still in Scotland, as before Milan can be beaten, it's the UEFA Cup Final tonight. Are you going to the game or the Fan Zones? Alan? It should be a good match, as Sevilla play some nice football.

SteveS wrote

Ditchling Beacon's gonna eat you

Ive ridden up it on a motorbike many times and its scary either way, now Ill have to worry about heart busting too.

After celebrating our win over Milan in a weeks time im also in Scotland. Im up Alans way stopping at the bothwell bridge hotel and revisiting a really nice curry house called spice restaurant. then in 6 weeks im off for my next scotland jaunt to fort william/inverness for a week and stopping on the isle of mull.

Scott Dryden wrote

Are you still in Scotland, as before Milan can be beaten, it's the UEFA Cup Final tonight. Are you going to the game or the Fan Zones? Alan? It should be a good match, as Sevilla play some nice football.

I didn't go to the game, or even watch the game, but I did take a wander along to George Square at lunchtime yesterday where the Sevilla fan zone was based. Despite the rain (typical) there seemed to be a pretty good atmosphere already, with thousands of fans (from both sides) seemed to be in good spirits.

Yes Yes, I'm ashamed, I hadn't done an evening 10 since 24th April due to work, etc. This one was really gonna hurt.

Despite the rain and thunder in London today there was a nice window in the weather tonight and shorts and short sleeves were the order of the day.

After missing 4 weeks I hoped for maybe a 31 or a 32 given the drop off in fitness so I was mightly pleased with 30:55. Very slight cramp - ridden off, same with slight stitch

Next week will really hurt as it is 25 miles and I've never done that distance before.

Someone took some snaps on 17/4 so here they are to prove that I really do actually go and get stuck in

If you don't like fat blokes in Lycra, look away now!

1) Getting ready to start (that's my crap old school bike fixed conversion) - Paunch looking particularly bad there - even with Lycra assistance


2) Just after getting pushed off. Look at that determination as Smithers puts the hammer down


3) Going flat out at the finish (white line on road) - I think my head is about to drop off! At this point my legs are spinning so fast that I will crash if I take a hand off the bars to stop my HRM which is in the middle of the bars. Have to slow the thing right down before I do that.

can we have a time order on the pictures pic 1 =7pm pic 2 = 7.30pm and the finish pic 3 = 6.00am(wheres everyone gone?)

deano_1007 wrote

can we have a time order on the pictures pic 1 =7pm pic 2 = 7.30pm and the finish pic 3 = 6.00am(wheres everyone gone?)

Grrr

Pic 1 - 19:01:00
Pic 2 - 19:01:02
Pic 3 - 19:31:58

well you inspired me to get on my bike at the weekend and do abit of offroading.

deano_1007 wrote

well you inspired me to get on my bike at the weekend and do abit of offroading.

Excellent

Popped my cherry for my first 25 mile time trial tonight. Strong headwind on the main straight and fine rain at the start. The 25 mile route means you go over the hill 3 times rather than the usual once

At the start there is a big downhill and I'd added aero bars to the bike this week for comfort over the long run. When you are on these bars the brakes aren't close at hand and spinning madly down the hill scared the life out of me!

I caught No.2 on the second circuit and No.1 on the 3rd circuit but he nipped back past me before the final assault on the hill. I'd obviously put too much effort in cos I very nearly ground to a halt the 3rd time up.

Rallied to finish with a 1:20.32 beating 2 or 3 folk
That was kind of what I expected since I did 31 minutes last week for 10 miles.

Good thing is, if I can make the next 25 in 2 weeks the conditions might be better and I can whup this time

Feeling a bit jaded tonight after last weeks 25 followed by a 40 mile "cha-ri-dee" ride I did on Sunday.

Took the geared bike as I'm now a little undergeared for a 10 on the fixed. Thought a PB might be possible if my legs got going,

So I rocked up and horror of horrors a couple of stretches of the road had been, well how can I put it "gravelled". Not proper tarmac just a horrid load of gravel with car tyre tracks through it and mounds of spare gravel to negotiate Really cheap and nasty. Hopefully it will improve over the weeks when it will get flattened

No HRM tonight but despite nearly falling off when I took a corner too quick I set a 30:59 - so 4secs slower of the last 10 two weeks ago. Happy with that considering I'm knacked

Back to 25 miles again next week but a fun 12 miler first this Saturday afternoon followed by a Club family BBQ - pray for sun please

Woohoo, broke through the 20mph barrier today at the BBQ time trial.
A flatter course but 12 miles and somehow we rode in a dry gap in the weather. Part of this course was undergoing roadworks as well, one section was kind of "scraped" and awful then there was a gravelly section as there had been on Tuesday.

My time was 34:59 (20.58mph average) which was 5-6 minutes faster than when I did this course 2 years ago when I was just starting out.

Needless to say I celebrated with a few burgers and beers

Watching Le Mans now and ready for a snooze

This Tuesday's 25 miler will be the last ride for my old school bike before I get myself a new frame...goodie

He came, he saw, he crashed

Not long since back from casualty with a half cast on my left wrist. I go back tomorrow to see if I need a full cast or some splint thingy but I may be out of action for 6-8 weeks.

Basically took my eye off the road for a split second and when I looked back I was on that bloody gravel then onto the narrowest of verges then into the end of someone's hedge. I think I was going somewhere between 18-23mph.

My left brake/gear lever got twisted outward by 90 degrees and the fact that my left hand was on it mean't I've fractured a bone in my arm or wrist. Got some abrasions on my left thigh and right shoulder and had a large twig lodged in my helmet (the one on my head) as a memento.

Oh well. I managed 36 years without breaking anything.

That's the time trial season over for me, I'll get even fatter now

What you like Steve!

Hope it heals up quickly.

Sorry to hear that, Steve. Life has an annoying habit of stopping you doing something just as you're getting into it again.

I'll buy you a medicinal pint on Monday.

Doh !
Bad luck Steve.
I'm reminded of the old maxim "there are 2 types of cyclist - those who have fallen off, and those who are going to fall off."

Ouch - sorry to hear that Steve.

Thanks guys

Been to see the fracture consultant. It's a non-displaced fracture of the radius about an inch from the end of it. I've not crushed the end of the bone so the fact that the bone didn't separate means it should heal nicely in 5-6 weeks.

No full plaster cast today though as there is too much swelling, going back next Wednesday for that.

Ouch, sorry to hear that Steve. Hope you get better soon and get back in the saddle before long.

sorry to hear that, i remember the one and only time i broke something my wrist/forearm playing rugby. something i never want to repeat.

Right, well I'm going to continue blogging, my rehab blog

Went to the hospital this morning and they used a mini angle-grinder looking thing to get the cast off
Saw the doc who asked me to try moving my wrist then gave me a sheet of exercises and sent me on my way - no x-ray anyway.

He said don't start doing dumbells and things for another week and that in another 4 or 5 weeks it would feel like it had never happened. Apparently about 8-9 months to get back 80% strength in the arm.

Wrist movement is pretty limited at the mo. can probably move it through an arc of about 80 degrees instead of 180. I guess muscles have shrunk:




Had the most wonderful bath ever when I got home and lots of skin departed Weighed myself - about 13st 10lbs. Prolly only put on 3 pounds but I reckon I've lost muscle (legs) and gained fat round my waist - now 39.5 inches!

Got 3 days off next week so I'll go swimming as much as poss. and try out my powerball that arrived today http://www.powerballs.com/ - should be fun Doc said cycling should be OK too but not to put too much weight on the arm.

Driving our manual car to Leicester and back on Friday for work...will see how that goes.

How tall are you?

188cm or 6' 2" but I'm pretty slim built

Funny powerball video http://www.powerballs.com/popup_akis.php

Don't think I will be doing 16,000 rpm for a while