Your ride today....

[Katherine]

First of all, I need to get a couple of bits out of the way or I'll forget to type them down.
1st. Did anyone know that that railway bridge at Wymondham is closed and that there is a bloody great diversion. Plus the bloke there is a snotty sort who says that cyclists are NOT pedestrians if they are pushing their bike.
2nd. I got a QOM on Strava today for the first time ever. Not bad for a fat old bird. I didn't know it was a strava segment or I might have made more of an effort. I'll go and do it again in a day or so, with warm legs and make a bit more of an effort at it
3rd. 14.3mph average for 30 miles! Result!

Today's Strava map is here

I went off to Slimming World, all 0.65 miles from home. Downhill. Weighed in 8 whole ounces lost in 2 weeks. Heigh ho. I am smaller though. The tape measure says so so I reckon that I'm losing squidge and gaining muscle with the extra exercise in the gym and longer bike rides.

From Slimming World I rode back up the hill, the gentle way via Rockingham Road and got my first ever QOM and headed off to Bowthorpe and Bawburgh and then, as I was crossing the B1108 Watton Road, there was a nice chap on a roadie (very sexy looking Matt Black Canyon with Di2s - not sure what he looked like). I told him about CC and said that the only thing he needed to join was to have ridden a bike at some point but we were very strict on needing to drink tea, have a love of cake and to be able to provide photos of bikes. He thinks we sound a fine bunch

I went straight on at Wymondham while he headed off to Hingham. I got over the lights and discovered that I couldn't go under the bridge at Wymondham Sation so took the diversion. It was made clear that I was not a pedestrian so couldn't push my bike along the path to Silfield Road. More than his jobs worth to let me. What a numpty. I did consider going over the pedestrian railway bridge at the station but I had road cleats on my shoes and I had forgotten my 'hats' so they would be slippery. I followed the diversion and then the signs vanished. Good job that I know the area.
I followed the road to the river (Tiffey in case you were wondering) then to the roundabout and then headed left to Spooner Row and up that long old drag of a road, muttering a bit about bloody workmen and that I was knackered.
Finally at Spooner Row and a quick left to Wattlefield and left again and eventually out on the Silfield Road, which is where I wanted to be in the first place. I stopped for a moment and send Hubster a text saying 'go home, I'm still in Silfield and will be ages' and then carried on. I rode through Wreningham and turned for Hethel to find more 'road closed' signs.
Feeling that I was just having a joyous time of life (I was not heading down the busy road and the long way for anyone at this point) I then spotted another cyclist (Cannondale Synapse in a matt grey ish colour) chatting with the workmen who said that bikes could go down. Good oh. Off we went. This chap was probably 35 years younger than me and half a stone lighter (as well as being 4" taller). Looked like a skinny club cyclist to me, I had to work a bit to keep up. Probably did me a world of good. We chatted through Hethel, along the bike path and then on towards East Carleton, where he turned left to head back to Melton and I went right into East Carleton and on to Intwood.

Couple of hills there proved problematic, I was getting very tired and muttering darkly about my next door neighbour, who I went to the gym with last night. Planks! Stupid things. The fact that I can plank for longer than her and for a lot longer than I used to be able to is not the point. I ache today. Finally the hill to Cringleford arrived and then I found myself waiting for an age at the bridge while the most polite Merc driver on the planet, let every single car through for hours and hours and hours. Maybe not hours but nearly all of Sweet Home Alabama. I was about to yell "what are you waiting for, a written invite" when he decided that nothing had been in sight for 15 seconds and found first gear.

Bluebell Lane was hard work but I got along it, with a couple of PBs, which surprised me. I had to go past my home twice as I wasn't stopping at 29.78 for anyone.
30 dead with a 14.3mph average. 30.65 for the day. Out riding for 2:09:01 in its entirety including the spin down to Slimming World. Happy with that as I won't get a ride in tomorrow unless a miracle happens.

Thanks to Colin J's half century a month challenge, I have to go round the block again to make it 31 miles. 50km is 31.07 m

 

[Saluki]

Thanks to Colin J's half century a month challenge, I have to go round the block again to make it 31 miles. 50km is 30.07 km.

Oh bum. I'd forgotten about 50km. I could have come home via Earlham Grove Road instead. I did do .65 to start with, to get weighed. It took no longer to weigh and whatnot than it does to have coffee and cake. Surely I can count that.

 

[Katherine]

Oh bum. I'd forgotten about 50km. I could have come home via Earlham Grove Road instead. I did do .65 to start with, to get weighed. It took no longer to weigh and whatnot than it does to have coffee and cake. Surely I can count that.

Definitely!

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

This is yesterday's ride report....

As some of you are aware I have been coaching someone I met by chance about 6-8 weeks ago to get her through an 88 mile charity ride a week on Saturday. She hadn’t previously ridden since her childhood. Yesterday was her last ‘big’ ride before the event. She works in a pub, is a single mum and has issues getting time off, getting her kids looked after and then her BSO failed on her, so it has been quite an adventure for her.

So yesterday, I hadn't told her that I was going to push her longest ride to date by well over 10 miles, only that we were going to Jodrell Bank for lunch.

She rides my mountain bike to me, changes to my road bike and then comes out with me before switching back to the mountain bike and riding home again. Unfortunately she can't arrive before 10am so it was always going to be a really tight timetable and yesterday was a combination of her continuing to learn to read a Garmin (which she did really well) and testing her stamina (no issues there). I also needed to cover the eating now despite not needing it now and pacing... Actually pace is a problem but not in the conventional sense... I am having issues getting her to go faster, I know she can manage it but she is scared of going downhill fast (unless I am off in the distance in front of her and she can see what is going on and I indicate potholes to her etc and then she is fine) and she is more than happy to sit and go slowly on the flat. Luckily she has got the hang of spinning uphill now instead of grinding and has worked out for her that it is easier and now that she is hill fit, does them with apparent ease.

So Jodrell Bank. The weather was warm, humid and overcast. It tried raining 3 times and failed really which was great. We had plenty of really helpful drivers all day and several helpful cyclists (letting me know she was behind me when I was waiting for her after one of her extra circuits which I had built into her ride to extend it past what I can manage - thank you to however it was that suggested that, it has worked to a point but needs careful planning on my behalf to ensure that I send her off on her way at the correct junction having made sure she knows where she will rejoin the route and what she does next time round at the same junction where we part company). I had to wait a couple of times for her to catch me up, I wanted to make sure that she got across a couple of the major road junctions safely and it sometimes helps me to have a ‘conventional’ bike with me when on the short sections of the major A roads we had to negotiate. Sadly it is one of those routes that has little of interest (to me) to photograph and because it was going off across the Cheshire plains, there were no views at all. We were also on a tight time scale. Last time I did the route with my husband it had taken me 5 hours 50 minutes and we only had 6 hours available today and well, we set out late .

We arrived safe and sound at Jodrell Bank where much to her surprise I told her to abandon the bike in the bike shed with no lock (hardly a problem at Jodrell and I had forgotten to take one but the café garden overlooks the bike shed and it is out of the way of 'normal' visitors). Only staff and cyclists go that way. I took the trike into the café garden with me using it as a replacement wheelchair. One of the staff members recognised me from my last visit so there were no issues with this, she quickly shut another member of staff up. Chips and coffee were soon delivered (though they forgot my mayo but Rachel went back for it! thank you) and then after talking with a young lad who was more curious about me, my trike and my crutches than his father was happy with (Why are people so hung up about children enquiring about disability? How are they going to learn if they can’t ask politely like this lad was doing?). Thankfully his father relaxed when we pulled out our own sandwiches as they had done as well and let the lad be. I suspect the grandmother (?) with them had something to do with this whilst I was in the bathroom.

Later the Grandmother came over to me to tell me about a lady she knew who had been confined to a wheelchair for the last 15 years with hip problems and how Wrightington hospital had rebuilt her hip (actually it is her pelvis they rebuilt but I didn’t say anything) and that she is now walking unaided. I asked her if by any chance the lady’s name was xyz and it was. It is a small world because I know the lady concerned quite well and my step-father knows her very well because his brother’s twin is married to her (or something like this, it is one of those I haven’t really quite worked it out yet things…)

Then it was time to head back. We were against the clock because the café had been busy with us arriving much later than I had originally hoped for, and we had less than 2 hours left to cover something that had taken me 2hrs 20 minutes last time…. So I set a brisker than normal pace and prayed that I could hold it and that the rather gusty wind would stay as a side wind and not become the headwind it had been forecast as (+20mph was forecast). Well we flew home literally and we did a rapid turnaround at my place and I sent Rachel on her way.

So this is her ride https://www.strava.com/activities/361073748 94.5km (58.7 miles)! Had I have known it was that close to a metric ton, I would have snook (is that a word?) another 5.5km in in the morning!

Mine is here https://www.strava.com/activities/361068986 60km at my new best average. The first time since my back going that I have broken into the 15kph average!

We both had a great day and I have no doubts that she can do the 88 miles on the day. My husband has volunteered to ride with her and pace her, do the navigation and just generally get her through it because it is well beyond what I can do, so now it is just a case of hill training with her when she can and keeping her to shorter rides before the big day.

Edit: PS - I hadn't previously noticed but yesterday's ride also took me to the 2,000km mark in my recovery! That has all been done since March of this year.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

That's fantastic - it's given me a huge smile on my face. Wish her all the best of luck from me.

I will.
If I heard her correctly over the rather windy conditions yesterday, her tips tin which is what she is using as sponsorship for it has over £250 in it (for a local charity called the Joshua Tree charity (helps families of children with cancer)). Their plans to climb Snowdon immediately after the ride could be pushing it a touch far. I have tactfully suggested the next day, but my OH will see how she is on the day and take it from there.

 

[ColinJ]

Thanks to Colin J's half century a month challenge, I have to go round the block again to make it 31 miles. 50km is 30.07 km.

It is motivating me too. I do longer rides, but my shorter local ones tended to be 20-25 miles (32-40 km). What often happens now is that I realise that I am going to be close to 50 kms and make the effort to do the extra.

I have set myself the target of averaging 11 miles a day in 2015 and am now nearly 300 miles ahead of schedule, so I only need to average just over 9 miles a day for the rest of the year. I fettled my Basso yesterday and decided to go out for a quick evening test ride. I was aiming to get those 9 miles in. Then I decided to double that up to 18 to get 2 days worth in, in case I didn't ride today.

But I was enjoying the ride, so I lengthened the route to make it 27 and get 3 days worth in.

Of course, coming home, I realised that another 4 and a bit miles would get my 50 km in ... I didn't have lights on the bike, but calculated that I could just get back before lights were needed. Sunset was 21:01 and I got back with 50 km logged on the GPS at 20:56!

 

[Asa Post]

Had I have known it was that close to a metric ton, I would have snook (is that a word?) another 5.5km in in the morning!

Yes it is, but it's the wrong word .
A snook is a fish. You meant snuck. It's arguable that you should have used sneaked.
Congrats to you and Rachel for the progress you are both making. She must be blessing the day she met you, but I suspect that she is doing you a lot of good as well.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Yes it is, but it's the wrong word .
A snook is a fish. You meant snuck. It's arguable that you should have used sneaked.

thank you.. snuck is what I really meant... sneaked doesn't feel right.

Congrats to you and Rachel for the progress you are both making. She must be blessing the day she met you, but I suspect that she is doing you a lot of good as well.

She has been good for me because she has helped to motivate me mostly by the fact I haven't wanted to let her down by saying I don't feel great today.... as in today. I should have really gone out but... I'll go out tomorrow instead. I was too tired. Yesterday I was also feeling crap in the morning, so was eating like it was going out of fashion (and doubled my steriods to help out). I have off days with my adrenal glands acting up and you never really know. But yes, she has helped considerably with motivation and very soon I am going ot have to find something else to keep me going which I am not looking forward to. It has been great to have someone to talk to and plan rides for. I shall miss her.

 

[ColinJ]

I have to go round the block again to make it 31 miles. 50km is 30.07 km.

No, 50 km is 50 km ...

You meant miles, and you meant 31.07 rather than 30.07, but apart from that it was a perfect post!

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

No, 50 km is 50 km ...

You meant miles, and you meant 31.07 rather than 30.07, but apart from that it was a perfect post!

I had also spotted that but wasn't going to say anything...

 

[ColinJ]

She has been good for me because she has helped to motivate me mostly by the fact I haven't wanted to let her down by saying I don't feel great today.... as in today. I should have really gone out but... I'll go out tomorrow instead. I was too tired. Yesterday I was also feeling crap in the morning, so was eating like it was going out of fashion (and doubled my steriods to help out). I have off days with my adrenal glands acting up and you never really know. But yes, she has helped considerably with motivation and very soon I am going ot have to find something else to keep me going which I am not looking forward to. It has been great to have someone to talk to and plan rides for. I shall miss her.

You have been doing a great job there, both for her and for yourself!

Is she going to stop riding with you once the charity ride has been completed?

 

[Katherine]

No, 50 km is 50 km ...

You meant miles, and you meant 31.07 rather than 30.07, but apart from that it was a perfect post!

Oops

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

You have been doing a great job there, both for her and for yourself!

Is she going to stop riding with you once the charity ride has been completed?

I have no idea to be honest. During the school holidays it is more difficult for her to get out because of her kids and I suspect she will stop because of that and the fact she doesn't have a bike and whilst I am more than happy to continue lending her one or both of mine, I am not certain if it will fall by the way after the charity ride, though she has said she wants to continue cycling after the charity ride but that was before her own BSO gave up the ghost completely. (It is well beyond economical repair what with it needing a new 3 speed twist shifter, front derailleur, new pads all round and either new free wheel or new BB depending on what it was that gave up on the last ride... I didn't get to the bottom of it other than it was effectively terminal! (all I got was that the pedals were not turn the wheels but the chain was on (for once)).

 

[andytheflyer]

Out on the 'bent this pm for the first time since the Anglesey Lanes audax in June. A simple 27 miles over to the LBS in Gresford and back - but didn't have what I went for. eBay is my friend here. Done a number of mods since a total strip, clean, polish and fettle - so a bit of shakedown ride. No problems found.

Warmish, v windy, and then it rained most of the way back.

 

[MikeW-71]

After a couple of days off the bike, I went out for a gentle(ish) spin on the carbon bike. She's been feeling a bit left out lately. Crikey, it feels so quick after so much MTB riding

13 miles around the city felt good, then I fitted the Topeak rack to the Revolt and popped into town to get a Brooks saddle ordered for it along with some mudguards, which they will be fitting for me. In the meantime I have a nice ride planned for tommorrow on the Revolt before it gets its new bits

https://www.strava.com/activities/361665158