Supersuperleeds
Legendary Member
- Location
- Leicester
The problem with being away for a few days is you get so many posts to comment on!
...
@Supersuperleeds - Re metric ton - NO!
.....
I'm going with Brian on this one
Show us your.......newbie progress! [4 Sep 2012 - 4 Oct 2014]
- Thread starter Typhon
- Start date
- Status
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
I'm going with Brian on this one
Supersuperleeds
Legendary Member
- Location
- Leicester
This post is missing a photo of a Bianchi bike...looked everywhere, cant seem to find it?!?
Nearest I could find:
This post is missing a photo of a Bianchi bike...looked everywhere, cant seem to find it?!?
Here she is.
I know the elite bottle cage is upside down. This photo was taken before I got it. Now the right way up. Different, also white, saddle. White pedals, but I might get some black ones because I'm not 100% sure I like the white and they are really scratched.
For the first time after a ride my elbows don't hurt. Hooray. I think narrower handlebars really helped.
themosquitoking
Guru
- Location
- Spain
Here she is.
I know the elite bottle cage is upside down. This photo was taken before I got it. Now the right way up. Different, also white, saddle. White pedals, but I might get some black ones because I'm not 100% sure I like the white and they are really scratched.
For the first time after a ride my elbows don't hurt. Hooray. I think narrower handlebars really helped.
View attachment 24141
That is a sexy looking bike, i like the curvy diagonalized tube.
- Location
- Somewhere wet & hilly in NW England.
Here she is.
I know the elite bottle cage is upside down. This photo was taken before I got it. Now the right way up. Different, also white, saddle. White pedals, but I might get some black ones because I'm not 100% sure I like the white and they are really scratched.
For the first time after a ride my elbows don't hurt. Hooray. I think narrower handlebars really helped.
View attachment 24141
That's rather nice!
Nice to ride as well as look at.
Nomadski
I Like Bikes
- Location
- LBS, Usually
Ok so have been dead excited about taking part in my first cycling gig and finally left on Friday afternoon, a little later than planned, and got stuck in a superb traffic jam near Guildford for 40 minutes. I did miss a worse one on the M25 though so it wasn't all bad.
So we got to Lyndhurst (80 miles away, 2.5 hours, average speed 32mph in a car) and despite the hotel corridor smelling a bit funny, and the only way you could politely describe the general decor would be "venerable", it was actually pretty perfect for our needs. Easy to get to, free parking and wifi, close to the event, very polite and friendly staff and close to anything you would need.
It also had a balcony with a decent view -
Lyndhurst itself was beautiful, great shops you wont find anywhere else instead of the usual assortment of Boots and Clintons, churches tolling the bells, bunting above...it was so picturesque.
However being a bloke, the only thing I took a photo of was the Ferrari and Maserati garages sat next to each other...Forza Italia!
Had a fantastic evening meal (steak - is this good pre race or not?) and a few glasses of wine (this isn't good, I know) and a couple of bottles of San Miguel (...).
Realised Id left my floor pump and bum cream at home, though rereading this line I should add I noticed the missing items at 2 different points in the night.
For the record, Garnier Body 7 Days lotion works decently up to around 20 miles.
Got registered around 7.50am picked up my first ever chip on the helmet (how the heck does this work??)
Headed off to the start and got in a group that set off just after 8. My plan was to ride my normal pace, and hopefully pick up in the second half of the ride. Silver classification was >14mph slightly above where I normally ride, but have done over shorter distances before. Gold was a seemingly insurmountable >15.5mph. Almost straight away got into a hill and was doing a little lower than I would normally comfortably do, noticed a larger lady leading the pack and decided to leave my group and head onwards at a slightly faster pace. This same larger lady would later skin me about 40 miles in, teaching me a lesson that weight has nothing to do with fitness!!!
The whole race was in and around the New Forest, but it surprised me how much was open plain type land, first got a section maybe 8 miles out and it was then the wind hit. Being so open we got the full headwind on a long grinding upwards slope, I actually checked my brake pads at one point as I was riding as it felt like my tyres were stuck, turns out it was the engine struggling!
There were some fun sections after this bit, some up n downs, that headwind / crosswind was ever present, but at times there was a 'little' cover.
I past the first feeding station 20 miles in, I did turn into it but then decided to press on as I felt ok and I wanted to keep a decent speed up. I later chatted to a fella who saw all these people turning into the station road and thought it was the route. Didn't see the actual feeding station and carried on for 4 miles down the road, before the lack of people made him think he had made a mistake! I did say at least he will have triggered a metric century by the finish but I don't know if it helped.
From here it got a bit hillier, both up and downs were great fun, beautiful scenery all around, really could have just stopped and taken photos all day, but I did manage 1 more on the route
(Pano maker turned the fellas bike into a unique design, also he did have 2 arms)
Twisty roads, long uphills, long downhills, narrow bridges across streams, slightly flooded roads (how?), tight forest sections, more open sections with more wind, the whole thing was extremely beautiful, and challenging but not overly so (that I worried I would finish). There were stewards there with funky police-like bikes with flashing lights at busy road intersections (weren't too many tbh, much to the credit of the planners), no traffic lights, and photographers crouched at every steep corner or downhill end...I did my best to pull as many faces like I was on the edge of warp drive..see if any turn up on the official sportive photo site.
There were also quite a lot of people in cars that had parked up and sat eating picnicstuffs watching the riding going on, which was cool.
I completely missed the 2nd feeding station, didnt see it at all, but still had my second bottle of water so. Had a guy behind me for a good 10 miles drafting me, but I lost him at some point (
), the aforementioned larger lady skinned me down a hill and was never seen again.
Got into a great chat with an older guy, caught his name as Dirk but checking the finishing list didnt see his name, so maybe I caught it wrong. He kept going ahead, I would catch him, chat, I would lead off, he would catch me....eventually he went ahead at a busy road junction where the cyclists were held up by stewards, and I never caught him again, but if you read this, hope you had a great day, and great chatting to you. Also helped my speed I think too.
Also had a little moment with a bull I posted about in the Sportive thread. Little bit of a staring contest, I suspect the bull was planted by an unsportsmanlike opponent, but he turned round and went off the road after a minute or so. I had by this time given the bull a name, one I couldn't repeat on a public forum, I WILL dedicate my next burger to him though.
The people living in this area are very blessed though, I saw people walking dogs, jogging, all in amazing countryside with animals roaming everywhere...if it wasn't for all those pesky cyclists it would have been serene! One of those people I found out today was my sisters ex-husband, who lives in Godshill where the first feeding station was. #couldhavehadfreecrumpetsandteasadface.
I had a strange moment about 50 miles in where 2 guys in full team kit went past me, I sped up with little to no hope of catching them, but kept the distance constant. We got to some rolling hills and while they were side by side I really tucked in (something I rarely do) and built up so much speed on the downhill I actually caught up and passed them without pedaling much on the following uphill section! My victory was short lived of course, but it was there, and I'm taking it as a double skin.
Bit of a wobbly moment on a tight corner after a fast downhill section nearly caught me, there were signs, but I assumed that moment had passed. Really need to get more attuned to high speed pre corner braking, my right foot came out of the pedal to steady myself, but no skidding was involved unlike the last time.
The last 8 miles were killer. It went back to the hellish open plain wind in ya face terrain, and I couldnt quite remember what Gold was, but I thought it might have been 15 mph. I made the mistake of turning my Garmin over to the distance and average speed page and saw I was on 15.1 mph with 8 miles left. I painfully watched it go 8...7.9...7.8.. and my speed was hovering around 10-11mph (slight uphill grade, lots of wind). About 4 miles to go the Garmin dropped me down to 15 mph. I really thought Im going to lose it here, so I tried to press on. I got helped by a faster rider who I tried to keep up with and raised my speed to 15-16 mph over the next mile or so.
For the last 3 miles I just gritted my teeth and went as fast as my legs could push me. I was a bit knackered, but I really didn't want to drop below 15 mph. Quite honestly watching the . miles going down was the least fun point of the ride, so I wont be doing that again! Much more fun watching a little arrow on a map...or even better watching the horses sitting down watching the riders going past!
Crossed the line eventually giving it a little extra Cavandish sprint (I wish) at the end, and finished the 60 mile route with 3,098 ft elevation in an official chip time of 4 hrs 07 mins and 32 seconds with a Silver classification. Garmin has me down as 3 hrs 59 mins 14 seconds but that I guess it doesn't include stoppages for photos, cars, and bulls. In the end I missed Gold by a long shot, it was 15.5mph, but I beat Bronze which I fully expected to end up with. Using some excel trickery (as its a Sportive the rides are posted alphabetically officially) I found I was 277th out of the 750 riders who completed the Standard route.
Got a hug off Mrs M, she had a For Goodness Shakes waiting for me, which I supplemented with a free tea and a large slice of fruit cake. Oh and THIS
Sat in the sunshine watching all the other guys n gals relax...
Was in need of a massage, but at £10 a pop I decided Id go with the free one back at the hotel...
Got a goody bag too, basically junk I think but the magazine is a good read, and Nikwax stuff intrigues me. Also, please note the 'venerable' hotel duvet...
And the Silver Steed of Justice with its first ride number and medal (photo taken with an iPad, cover your eyes Nigel!)...
On a side note headed off in the afternoon to Christchurch to look at some old things still standing (felt in good company) and then off to Bournemouth for some Harry Ramsden fish n chips n battered sausage n beans, devoured in a Gold classification time.
So that's it, my first Sportive and its left me hungry for more. Was good experienced gained for August, met lots of nice people, learned my fare share of not judging people and had a damn good time. The day was brilliantly organised, and was worlds away from just a ride on the bike.
Already planning on signing up for next years one, plus will have to look at more next year, or maybe for after August.
Sorry for the blog...still buzzing!!
http://app.strava.com/activities/57755322
So we got to Lyndhurst (80 miles away, 2.5 hours, average speed 32mph in a car) and despite the hotel corridor smelling a bit funny, and the only way you could politely describe the general decor would be "venerable", it was actually pretty perfect for our needs. Easy to get to, free parking and wifi, close to the event, very polite and friendly staff and close to anything you would need.
It also had a balcony with a decent view -
Lyndhurst itself was beautiful, great shops you wont find anywhere else instead of the usual assortment of Boots and Clintons, churches tolling the bells, bunting above...it was so picturesque.
However being a bloke, the only thing I took a photo of was the Ferrari and Maserati garages sat next to each other...Forza Italia!
Had a fantastic evening meal (steak - is this good pre race or not?) and a few glasses of wine (this isn't good, I know) and a couple of bottles of San Miguel (...).
Realised Id left my floor pump and bum cream at home, though rereading this line I should add I noticed the missing items at 2 different points in the night.
For the record, Garnier Body 7 Days lotion works decently up to around 20 miles.Got registered around 7.50am picked up my first ever chip on the helmet (how the heck does this work??)
Headed off to the start and got in a group that set off just after 8. My plan was to ride my normal pace, and hopefully pick up in the second half of the ride. Silver classification was >14mph slightly above where I normally ride, but have done over shorter distances before. Gold was a seemingly insurmountable >15.5mph. Almost straight away got into a hill and was doing a little lower than I would normally comfortably do, noticed a larger lady leading the pack and decided to leave my group and head onwards at a slightly faster pace. This same larger lady would later skin me about 40 miles in, teaching me a lesson that weight has nothing to do with fitness!!!
The whole race was in and around the New Forest, but it surprised me how much was open plain type land, first got a section maybe 8 miles out and it was then the wind hit. Being so open we got the full headwind on a long grinding upwards slope, I actually checked my brake pads at one point as I was riding as it felt like my tyres were stuck, turns out it was the engine struggling!
There were some fun sections after this bit, some up n downs, that headwind / crosswind was ever present, but at times there was a 'little' cover.
I past the first feeding station 20 miles in, I did turn into it but then decided to press on as I felt ok and I wanted to keep a decent speed up. I later chatted to a fella who saw all these people turning into the station road and thought it was the route. Didn't see the actual feeding station and carried on for 4 miles down the road, before the lack of people made him think he had made a mistake! I did say at least he will have triggered a metric century by the finish but I don't know if it helped.
From here it got a bit hillier, both up and downs were great fun, beautiful scenery all around, really could have just stopped and taken photos all day, but I did manage 1 more on the route
(Pano maker turned the fellas bike into a unique design, also he did have 2 arms)
Twisty roads, long uphills, long downhills, narrow bridges across streams, slightly flooded roads (how?), tight forest sections, more open sections with more wind, the whole thing was extremely beautiful, and challenging but not overly so (that I worried I would finish). There were stewards there with funky police-like bikes with flashing lights at busy road intersections (weren't too many tbh, much to the credit of the planners), no traffic lights, and photographers crouched at every steep corner or downhill end...I did my best to pull as many faces like I was on the edge of warp drive..see if any turn up on the official sportive photo site.
There were also quite a lot of people in cars that had parked up and sat eating picnicstuffs watching the riding going on, which was cool.
I completely missed the 2nd feeding station, didnt see it at all, but still had my second bottle of water so. Had a guy behind me for a good 10 miles drafting me, but I lost him at some point (
), the aforementioned larger lady skinned me down a hill and was never seen again.Got into a great chat with an older guy, caught his name as Dirk but checking the finishing list didnt see his name, so maybe I caught it wrong. He kept going ahead, I would catch him, chat, I would lead off, he would catch me....eventually he went ahead at a busy road junction where the cyclists were held up by stewards, and I never caught him again, but if you read this, hope you had a great day, and great chatting to you. Also helped my speed I think too.
Also had a little moment with a bull I posted about in the Sportive thread. Little bit of a staring contest, I suspect the bull was planted by an unsportsmanlike opponent, but he turned round and went off the road after a minute or so. I had by this time given the bull a name, one I couldn't repeat on a public forum, I WILL dedicate my next burger to him though.
The people living in this area are very blessed though, I saw people walking dogs, jogging, all in amazing countryside with animals roaming everywhere...if it wasn't for all those pesky cyclists it would have been serene! One of those people I found out today was my sisters ex-husband, who lives in Godshill where the first feeding station was. #couldhavehadfreecrumpetsandteasadface.
I had a strange moment about 50 miles in where 2 guys in full team kit went past me, I sped up with little to no hope of catching them, but kept the distance constant. We got to some rolling hills and while they were side by side I really tucked in (something I rarely do) and built up so much speed on the downhill I actually caught up and passed them without pedaling much on the following uphill section! My victory was short lived of course, but it was there, and I'm taking it as a double skin.
Bit of a wobbly moment on a tight corner after a fast downhill section nearly caught me, there were signs, but I assumed that moment had passed. Really need to get more attuned to high speed pre corner braking, my right foot came out of the pedal to steady myself, but no skidding was involved unlike the last time.
The last 8 miles were killer. It went back to the hellish open plain wind in ya face terrain, and I couldnt quite remember what Gold was, but I thought it might have been 15 mph. I made the mistake of turning my Garmin over to the distance and average speed page and saw I was on 15.1 mph with 8 miles left. I painfully watched it go 8...7.9...7.8.. and my speed was hovering around 10-11mph (slight uphill grade, lots of wind). About 4 miles to go the Garmin dropped me down to 15 mph. I really thought Im going to lose it here, so I tried to press on. I got helped by a faster rider who I tried to keep up with and raised my speed to 15-16 mph over the next mile or so.
For the last 3 miles I just gritted my teeth and went as fast as my legs could push me. I was a bit knackered, but I really didn't want to drop below 15 mph. Quite honestly watching the . miles going down was the least fun point of the ride, so I wont be doing that again! Much more fun watching a little arrow on a map...or even better watching the horses sitting down watching the riders going past!
Crossed the line eventually giving it a little extra Cavandish sprint (I wish) at the end, and finished the 60 mile route with 3,098 ft elevation in an official chip time of 4 hrs 07 mins and 32 seconds with a Silver classification. Garmin has me down as 3 hrs 59 mins 14 seconds but that I guess it doesn't include stoppages for photos, cars, and bulls. In the end I missed Gold by a long shot, it was 15.5mph, but I beat Bronze which I fully expected to end up with. Using some excel trickery (as its a Sportive the rides are posted alphabetically officially) I found I was 277th out of the 750 riders who completed the Standard route.
Got a hug off Mrs M, she had a For Goodness Shakes waiting for me, which I supplemented with a free tea and a large slice of fruit cake. Oh and THIS
Sat in the sunshine watching all the other guys n gals relax...
Was in need of a massage, but at £10 a pop I decided Id go with the free one back at the hotel...
Got a goody bag too, basically junk I think but the magazine is a good read, and Nikwax stuff intrigues me. Also, please note the 'venerable' hotel duvet...
And the Silver Steed of Justice with its first ride number and medal (photo taken with an iPad, cover your eyes Nigel!)...
On a side note headed off in the afternoon to Christchurch to look at some old things still standing (felt in good company) and then off to Bournemouth for some Harry Ramsden fish n chips n battered sausage n beans, devoured in a Gold classification time.
So that's it, my first Sportive and its left me hungry for more. Was good experienced gained for August, met lots of nice people, learned my fare share of not judging people and had a damn good time. The day was brilliantly organised, and was worlds away from just a ride on the bike.
Already planning on signing up for next years one, plus will have to look at more next year, or maybe for after August.
Sorry for the blog...still buzzing!!
http://app.strava.com/activities/57755322
Nomadski
I Like Bikes
- Location
- LBS, Usually
I'm going with Brian on this one
Im sure there is a Rule about this. I have great GREAT admiration for your cycling prowess sir, but NO NO NO!!!
Nomadski
I Like Bikes
- Location
- LBS, Usually
Here she is.
I know the elite bottle cage is upside down. This photo was taken before I got it. Now the right way up. Different, also white, saddle. White pedals, but I might get some black ones because I'm not 100% sure I like the white and they are really scratched.
For the first time after a ride my elbows don't hurt. Hooray. I think narrower handlebars really helped.
View attachment 24141
Thats a stunning bike, the chainstays look wicked, also agree with themosquitoking about the downtube.
For @Supersuperleeds and @themosquitoking, this is my goto reference pic (used for this post!) for avoiding "curvy bit below the crossing type thingy" type descriptions...
philinmerthyr
Über Member
Great report Nomadski
RWright
Guru
- Location
- North Carolina
Kind of hard for me to imagine a more dangerous place for a segment than the one you posted there
.
themosquitoking
Guru
- Location
- Spain
Kind of hard for me to imagine a more dangerous place for a segment than the one you posted there
I was clenching down this one the other day, steep as hell, narrow road and a crappy surface.
http://app.strava.com/segments/4050685
Supersuperleeds
Legendary Member
- Location
- Leicester
Thats a stunning bike, the chainstays look wicked, also agree with themosquitoking about the downtube.
For @Supersuperleeds and @themosquitoking, this is my goto reference pic (used for this post!) for avoiding "curvy bit below the crossing type thingy" type descriptions...
Why is the rear tyre called Aaron?
RWright
Guru
- Location
- North Carolina
Not the shoes like when we were kids then? Then get your ass spanked for wearing the toes out?
And I always thought it was just me.
stevey
Guru
- Location
- sutton coldfield
Well the urge to do a last ride was to much so took mrs out for a gentle leg stretcher, later decided to give this segment a go to see if i could get out of last position so mrs held the phone at top of the hill (didn't record it on strava my choice) with the stop watch app. Low and behold i done 1:29 
so unofficially i am now joint 21st, up from 68th of 68 will try again in a couple of days.
http://app.strava.com/segments/1232342
so took mrs out for a gentle leg stretcher, later decided to give this segment a go to see if i could get out of last position so mrs held the phone at top of the hill (didn't record it on strava my choice) with the stop watch app. Low and behold i done 1:29 so unofficially i am now joint 21st, up from 68th of 68 will try again in a couple of days. http://app.strava.com/segments/1232342
- Status
