Stonechat
Guru
- Location
- Staines, Middlesex
Well raining a lot here so did my intervals on the turbo
https://www.strava.com/activities/353057586
https://www.strava.com/activities/353057586
Show us your.......newbie progress!
- Thread starter Nigelnaturist
- Start date
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Mo1959
Legendary Member
- Location
- Perthshire,Scotland
Instruments of torture. Even rain is so much better!
Stonechat
Guru
- Location
- Staines, Middlesex
Well just solid heavy rain so it was that or nothingInstruments of torture. Even rain is so much better!
Stonechat
Guru
- Location
- Staines, Middlesex
Well not sure - rain forecast tomorrow and bike into LBS monday so have to ride.
Do I?
Well I don't know see how I feel in the morning
Do I?
Well I don't know see how I feel in the morning
Stonechat
Guru
- Location
- Staines, Middlesex
Well I manned up and went out - there were 5 of us a the club ride meeting place - 1 went elsewhere so we following Antonio on a route to Jealotts Hill - was slow very wet and cold
not quick
34.4 miles @ 14.3 mph
492 feet climbed
Coffee in Windsor di9d not warm me up
https://www.strava.com/activities/354337057
not quick
34.4 miles @ 14.3 mph
492 feet climbed
Coffee in Windsor di9d not warm me up
https://www.strava.com/activities/354337057
Nomadski
I Like Bikes
- Location
- LBS, Usually
Got back yesterday from a 4 day break in south east Italy, and had pre hired a bike out from the local town, and they even plotted a route for my Garmin, roughly 30 miles as requested. With RideLondon
looming I didn't want to go a few days without spinning the legs, and the area looked Lincolnshire flat.
But a hot Lincolnshire. Weather reported it as being around 34 degrees, Garmin somehow got an average of 37.5 degrees for the ride...
I am not good in warm weather. I am a guy whose head begins dripping at around 25 degrees.
So just to note, on the way there I did hammer all them blokes doing that ride around France, at least on the Belgian section...
Anyway, we stayed in a very rural area in Apulia, just north of Mesagne in a rather beautiful 17th century converted farm building called Masseria Baroni Nuovi which still produces its own wine and
olive oil.
With only 12 rooms, it was peaceful and hot! We stayed in the suite which had a whirlpool...
So the bike arrived and was a Specialized Diverge A1, chosen as I had seen the roads on Streetview, and a pure roadbike would have fallen to bits quite frankly!
First time with disc brakes and 30c tyres. And reflectors. Many, many reflectors.
So away I went...
First stretch was a long straight bit of road I had driven down, with not a lot to talk about other than I was starting to think my face was about to melt already, and the front brake was as effective
as shouting at the wheels to stop turning. I relied quite heavily on the rear brake for most of the journey...
Got down to the square in Mesagne with no issues.
On a "busy" stretch of road they had built a cycle lane of a couple of hundred yards, that then stopped abruptly,. Busy is subjective I guess.
For the next 5 miles the road switched from flat with cracks, to off road hole-a-thons via loose gravel pits, the scenery consisted of lots of very nice vineyards and olive plantations. The soundtrack
was provided by a thousand Cicadas...
Arrived at the Santa Maria della Neve church in Latiano with one bottle drunk and my headband soaked. One can of coke downed, a new bottle off water ordered and after some pics I was ready to go again.
So Italian.
Passed by an unusually modern looking church with 4 bells at the front called the Santuario Santa Maria Di Cotrino.
looming I didn't want to go a few days without spinning the legs, and the area looked Lincolnshire flat.
But a hot Lincolnshire. Weather reported it as being around 34 degrees, Garmin somehow got an average of 37.5 degrees for the ride...
I am not good in warm weather. I am a guy whose head begins dripping at around 25 degrees.
So just to note, on the way there I did hammer all them blokes doing that ride around France, at least on the Belgian section...
Anyway, we stayed in a very rural area in Apulia, just north of Mesagne in a rather beautiful 17th century converted farm building called Masseria Baroni Nuovi which still produces its own wine and
olive oil.
With only 12 rooms, it was peaceful and hot! We stayed in the suite which had a whirlpool...
So the bike arrived and was a Specialized Diverge A1, chosen as I had seen the roads on Streetview, and a pure roadbike would have fallen to bits quite frankly!
First time with disc brakes and 30c tyres. And reflectors. Many, many reflectors.
So away I went...
First stretch was a long straight bit of road I had driven down, with not a lot to talk about other than I was starting to think my face was about to melt already, and the front brake was as effective
as shouting at the wheels to stop turning. I relied quite heavily on the rear brake for most of the journey...
Got down to the square in Mesagne with no issues.
On a "busy" stretch of road they had built a cycle lane of a couple of hundred yards, that then stopped abruptly,. Busy is subjective I guess.
For the next 5 miles the road switched from flat with cracks, to off road hole-a-thons via loose gravel pits, the scenery consisted of lots of very nice vineyards and olive plantations. The soundtrack
was provided by a thousand Cicadas...
Arrived at the Santa Maria della Neve church in Latiano with one bottle drunk and my headband soaked. One can of coke downed, a new bottle off water ordered and after some pics I was ready to go again.
So Italian.
Passed by an unusually modern looking church with 4 bells at the front called the Santuario Santa Maria Di Cotrino.
Nomadski
I Like Bikes
- Location
- LBS, Usually
And onwards towards Oria.
Getting myself ready for the hill climbing section of the route, an almighty 110ft, CAT 26, my aim was the castle on the highest point. As I got closer, finding it was a bit tricky with the narrow roads narrowing all the time.
Eventually I got up there via a quite steep and very slippery road, and like most things in this area in mid afternoon, it was shut.
Getting back down the hill was a bigger challenge! The front disc brake still not cooperating, the middle part of the road with large steps in it, and the sides being well polished stone, I made my way down slower than I had gone up.
I had to get to the road below the one I was on. The first road I tried going down I had to come off the bike, and even then my SPD shoes were slipping like heck, so went back to some steps I had spotted earlier.
(The photo does NO justice to how steep this was!)
Coming down the steps was marginally less tricky, but I was glad my belly wasn't bigger than it already is...
Finally got to the border of the old town, and the hill was done! Phew...
Looking back, the castle was way bigger than I had any idea of it being, surrounded by the old town.
Then it was a quick trip back to Mesagne via the vineyards, olive trees, chalkpits and d'Potholios.
A supermarket owner sold me some more water, just as he was about to shut (well it WAS about 2pm...) and I hit the last leg home doing a quick action shot to commemorate actual tarmac in front of me, and of the glorious front reflector reflecting the HECK out of everything it could.
And passing a grand entrance to a property called Castello Acquaro...
Just to get back before some rather nasty winds decided to make an appearance!
One gecko was spotted, many Cicadas were annoying, Italians were all incredibly patient on the roads around me, the front disc brake never came back from the different holiday it was on and one headband and 2 buffs were thoroughly soaked through.
https://www.strava.com/activities/353000357
Getting myself ready for the hill climbing section of the route, an almighty 110ft, CAT 26, my aim was the castle on the highest point. As I got closer, finding it was a bit tricky with the narrow roads narrowing all the time.
Eventually I got up there via a quite steep and very slippery road, and like most things in this area in mid afternoon, it was shut.
Getting back down the hill was a bigger challenge! The front disc brake still not cooperating, the middle part of the road with large steps in it, and the sides being well polished stone, I made my way down slower than I had gone up.
I had to get to the road below the one I was on. The first road I tried going down I had to come off the bike, and even then my SPD shoes were slipping like heck, so went back to some steps I had spotted earlier.
(The photo does NO justice to how steep this was!)
Coming down the steps was marginally less tricky, but I was glad my belly wasn't bigger than it already is...
Finally got to the border of the old town, and the hill was done! Phew...
Looking back, the castle was way bigger than I had any idea of it being, surrounded by the old town.
Then it was a quick trip back to Mesagne via the vineyards, olive trees, chalkpits and d'Potholios.
A supermarket owner sold me some more water, just as he was about to shut (well it WAS about 2pm...) and I hit the last leg home doing a quick action shot to commemorate actual tarmac in front of me, and of the glorious front reflector reflecting the HECK out of everything it could.
And passing a grand entrance to a property called Castello Acquaro...
Just to get back before some rather nasty winds decided to make an appearance!
One gecko was spotted, many Cicadas were annoying, Italians were all incredibly patient on the roads around me, the front disc brake never came back from the different holiday it was on and one headband and 2 buffs were thoroughly soaked through.
https://www.strava.com/activities/353000357
Last edited:
Nomadski
I Like Bikes
- Location
- LBS, Usually
As a side note, if anyone ever goes to south east Italy, I would thoroughly recommend visiting Ostuni. Its quite a mad place where a large amount of the towns budget is spent on white paint for the old town section (pictured) and they have some wild and rather large markets spread throughout the new town on Saturday mornings.
Its kind of an emulsioned Kings Landing on the outside, and an emulsioned ratmaze on the inside!
There were people there, honest.
So Italian 2
Its kind of an emulsioned Kings Landing on the outside, and an emulsioned ratmaze on the inside!
There were people there, honest.
So Italian 2
Stonechat
Guru
- Location
- Staines, Middlesex
How inte
How interesting - good write upAs a side note, if anyone ever goes to south east Italy, I would thoroughly recommend visiting Ostuni. Its quite a mad place where a large amount of the towns budget is spent on white paint for the old town section (pictured) and they have some wild and rather large markets spread throughout the new town on Saturday mornings.
Its kind of an emulsioned Kings Landing on the outside, and an emulsioned ratmaze on the inside!
There were people there, honest.
So Italian 2
Last edited:
puffinbilly
Veteran
Stonechat
Guru
- Location
- Staines, Middlesex
Well bike is in LBS now for headset replacement.
Will be glad when it's done
Will be glad when it's done
- Location
- Somewhere wet & hilly in NW England.
@Nomadski Great looking holiday and write-up.
What was wrong with the front brake?
***
Well, today it is...
...raining, so...
...can't be arsed with it at all.
Mileage for month only 162 due to me hurting knee/chest/back on a slip (hiking) in the mountains. Mrs SD reckons I am getting too old for for 'it' - whatever 'it' may be.
What was wrong with the front brake?
***
Well, today it is...
...raining, so...
...can't be arsed with it at all.
Mileage for month only 162 due to me hurting knee/chest/back on a slip (hiking) in the mountains. Mrs SD reckons I am getting too old for for 'it' - whatever 'it' may be.
Last edited:
Nomadski
I Like Bikes
- Location
- LBS, Usually
It had to be squeezed and held tight, talked nicely to and caressed and sung poems of enchantment before it slowed the bike at all.
- Location
- Somewhere wet & hilly in NW England.
More rain - in fact lots of it.
