Wednesday 21st Feb
Wind speed and direction similar to yesterday's.
Gold in the sky as the clouds parted.
This brought on "Floppy Boot Stomp" by Captain Beefheart (...and the sky turned white in the middle of the night...)
I have discarded my Polaris-fleecy-wrap-around-ear-warmer thingy this week. Kept it in my pocket just in case, but didn’t need it. Wonder if I’m being a bit premature.
Time out: 1:02.
No return time recorded. Obviously the novelty is wearing off.
Birds what I have heard this week:
Blackbird (twittering).
Woodpecker (drilling).
Crows (cawing).
A brace of startled grouse (clucking).
Some sort of mellifluous moorland larky pipitty thing (chirupping).
...the countryside is waking up.
Progress report on saddle comfort: think my nether regions are just building up some sort of scar tissue. Either that or too numb to feel any pain.
Tuesday 20th Feb
Wind has come round more to the west, so some "head" some "side".
Cloud on tops is not so thick. Turbines visible again.
Quite a few vehicles passed me this morning.
Thought a good measure of fitness would be to monitor my minimum speed up the "big hill".
Started to get despondent at 3.0 mph half way up, then demoralised at 2.5 mph,
then the thing plummetted to 0.0! Well, I nearly fell off.
Surely some mistake (I was actually still moving)
Ah well, maybe not such a good idea after all.
Near work, on the pedestrian approach to the underpass,
I wheeled up behind a lady enquire if it was her that I startled at this spot yesterday.
It turned out it was a different lady yesterday. Today's lady was not for startling.
However, she asked me if it was me she'd passed up on the moors. I said that was probably the case.
She's a cyclist who lives in Haworth, and appreciates the challenge of the "big hill",
having cycled it herself occasionally in summer.
Has 2 bikes, hybrid and mountain, so must be an enthusiast. I told her I was getting in training for LeJOG, which seemed to impress.
Need new batteries in my tail light. They've lasted quite well. LEDs rule OK!
I work in what was once a dark satanic carpet-weaving mill, which has now been converted into office space.
When I get to work I leave my bike in what I fondly term “the dungeon”. It’s the basement of said old mill. It’s dry, but it’s grotty, dimly lit, and probably harbours dead creatures in every cranny.
After removing the lights, pump, computer, drinks bottle so that the bogey man doesn’t get them, I make my way to the lift. It’s a brand spanking new lift, well actually a pair of lifts, which cling to the outside of the mill in a glass tube. I press the button and incant (sotto voce) “Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair.” The lift duly arrives. Rapunzel (for ‘tis she) says “Doors opening” closely followed by “Please select your floor”. “I wouldst inspect thy mezzanine” I quip. “Failing that, take me to floor 5 and your garderobe, fair maiden.”
Sometimes it is Rapunzel 2 who arrives, for she has a twin sister. Rapunzel 2 has a slight lisp, so that it’s not always clear whether she has taken me to the “Fifth Floor” or the “Sixth Floor” or indeed the “Thithth floor”. After searching in vain for the source of the disembodied voice, I exit forlornly to the strain of “Doorth clothing”
I go to the shower room and enjoy a relaxing shower, before once more taking Rapunzel 2 to the Theventh Floor, whereat my desk is situated.
Fancied a change going home, so headed into the valley of the Hebble Brook, past the old Websters Fountain Head Brewery, and then had to push the bike for quarter of a mile up the steeply cobbled Ovenden Wood Road. Started up all the guard dogs in the vicinity. Remind me not to go that way again, please.
Going home along the moor road, there was a blinding light coming towards me. I wondered what the heck it could be. Turned out to be a mountain biker. I thought about asking if he had a dipped beam on that thing. Man, it was bright.
Time out 1:05.
Time return: 1:11
Monday 19th Feb
Birds were singing when I left the village. But quite a stiff headwind once out of the shelter of the village. Up in the clouds on the tops - pretty grim, cold, damp and silent apart from the odd 4x4 coming up behind. Generally speaking the motorists on this road come past quite courteously; it's narrow and they can see me wobbling as I struggle manfully to make forward progress.
A nice warm shower restored the feeling to my extremities once I got to work.
Time out 1:06 (‘cloudy’ i.e. foggy on tops, headwind)
Time return 0:56 surely some sort of record (a spot of rain towards home, setting in later in the evening, but who cares I’m home and dry).
Tuesday, 27 February 2007
Tuesday, 20 February 2007
Dad's next installment
Wednesday 7th February
Decided to go in again on the bike - third day running this week.
Yesterday was very cold in both directions - probably about -5C.
This had three effects worth mentioning:
1) reduced the air pressure in my tyres (Charles' Law)
2) made the grease in my hub gears more viscous (I forget whose law that is)
3) almost made my big toes drop off (Le Singe de Bronze principle)
Overall, cost me about 10 minutes on my journey time each way.
After the ride decided to pump up tyres and lube the chain.
This morning still very cold (maybe -3C), but I arrived in a very respectable (for me) 1hr. 01min. Well at least we can expect it to be a little warmer when we do the actual ride.
After several hundred miles, my Nexus hub must be just about run-in. Wish the same could be said of my knee-joints.
Decided to go in again on the bike - third day running this week.
Yesterday was very cold in both directions - probably about -5C.
This had three effects worth mentioning:
1) reduced the air pressure in my tyres (Charles' Law)
2) made the grease in my hub gears more viscous (I forget whose law that is)
3) almost made my big toes drop off (Le Singe de Bronze principle)
Overall, cost me about 10 minutes on my journey time each way.
After the ride decided to pump up tyres and lube the chain.
This morning still very cold (maybe -3C), but I arrived in a very respectable (for me) 1hr. 01min. Well at least we can expect it to be a little warmer when we do the actual ride.
After several hundred miles, my Nexus hub must be just about run-in. Wish the same could be said of my knee-joints.
Monday 12th February
Feeling pretty good this morning (at first). Normally I just engage the small “Granny-what-sharp-24-tooth-dentures-you-have” front chainring before I hit the big hill. Today I was up for tackling the steep bit in the middle ring (and 1st gear at the back of course). Well, that foolhardy effort backfired when I bottled out, went for granny, and the front changer, miffed that I’d ignored it all morning, petulantly threw the chain onto the bottom bracket, and flounced off in a huff. After some kind words of encouragement (gnarg!), it decided to co-operate again, so I was back on my way, with nowt but an oily finger and thumb.
Coming home seemed a bit harder in parts, as the wind had freshened, and was definitely against me on the last couple of mile stretch. However, managed to miss the heavy showers in both directions, so was pretty chuffed.
No personal best times yet, but the return journey was done non-stop for a change. Usually I have to have a stoke-up with an energy bar about half-way to avoid the bonk (it’s all just cycle-logical you know).
Feeling pretty good this morning (at first). Normally I just engage the small “Granny-what-sharp-24-tooth-dentures-you-have” front chainring before I hit the big hill. Today I was up for tackling the steep bit in the middle ring (and 1st gear at the back of course). Well, that foolhardy effort backfired when I bottled out, went for granny, and the front changer, miffed that I’d ignored it all morning, petulantly threw the chain onto the bottom bracket, and flounced off in a huff. After some kind words of encouragement (gnarg!), it decided to co-operate again, so I was back on my way, with nowt but an oily finger and thumb.
Coming home seemed a bit harder in parts, as the wind had freshened, and was definitely against me on the last couple of mile stretch. However, managed to miss the heavy showers in both directions, so was pretty chuffed.
No personal best times yet, but the return journey was done non-stop for a change. Usually I have to have a stoke-up with an energy bar about half-way to avoid the bonk (it’s all just cycle-logical you know).
Wednesday 14th February
So, another 3 days of commuting done. And only got slightly wet, not bad for Feb.
There is still a little bit of snow on the tops - which arrived last Thursday and Friday (my non-cycling days). There's more on the Halifax side of the moor than the Oxenhope side. There are more birds singing in the morning and it's getting steadily lighter. Still keep my lights on all the way, though.
Tune rolling round my head this morning "Broken Household Appliance, National Forest" by Grandaddy (who needs iPods?) This usually comes on when I pass the dumped TV up on the moors.
This morning's time was just under 1 hour. Somehow 59 mins seems so much better (we'll quietly ignore the 52 seconds). Broke the speed limit down Pellon Lane (34mph). Coming back it was bright with a strong headwind on the last leg, so 1 hour 8 mins was all I could manage.
Got a new mirror for the bike - it's a Zefal Spy. Fitted it in haste last night in a dark garage. So on the way in I realised the view rearward was blocked by my pannier. Have now mounted it on the crossbar - hope that my bandy legs will not get in the way. I did have a helmet mounted mirror a few years ago, but I didn't take to it. More reflections on mirrors later (hah!).
So, another 3 days of commuting done. And only got slightly wet, not bad for Feb.
There is still a little bit of snow on the tops - which arrived last Thursday and Friday (my non-cycling days). There's more on the Halifax side of the moor than the Oxenhope side. There are more birds singing in the morning and it's getting steadily lighter. Still keep my lights on all the way, though.
Tune rolling round my head this morning "Broken Household Appliance, National Forest" by Grandaddy (who needs iPods?) This usually comes on when I pass the dumped TV up on the moors.
This morning's time was just under 1 hour. Somehow 59 mins seems so much better (we'll quietly ignore the 52 seconds). Broke the speed limit down Pellon Lane (34mph). Coming back it was bright with a strong headwind on the last leg, so 1 hour 8 mins was all I could manage.
Got a new mirror for the bike - it's a Zefal Spy. Fitted it in haste last night in a dark garage. So on the way in I realised the view rearward was blocked by my pannier. Have now mounted it on the crossbar - hope that my bandy legs will not get in the way. I did have a helmet mounted mirror a few years ago, but I didn't take to it. More reflections on mirrors later (hah!).
Monday, 5 February 2007
Dad's first blog!
Monday 5th February
I don't think a detailed training log would be particularly interesting, but here are a few random thoughts which passed across my mind during the 9-mile commute to Halifax this morning (which is part of my new training regime).
As I set off from the house at 7:10 am "It's noticeably lighter this morning -
I can actually see the little indicators on each twist grip which tell me which gears I'm in.”
“Careful - might be a little bit of frost and ice around on the tops this morning.
“Oh, the wonders of the Nexus 8-speed hub - all those little cogs whirring round inside doing their inscrutable Japanese impersonation of a 11-34T cassette!”
“And my home-made chain tensioner which allows me to run a Stronglight triple 48/38/24 at the front, giving me the ability to get up this big nasty hill out of Oxenhope. Good technology! I am smug about that!“
“Wonder if the Rohloff Speedhub is the next step? Can I justify that expense?
You could buy 2 half-decent bikes for just the cost of the hub.”
“I'm at the top of that dreaded climb (800 feet in 2 miles). Blimey I've done it in 32 mins is that a personal best? Can't remember. Memo to self - keep a proper training log!”
“Now we're on the top of the moor. No sign of the curlews yet - must be still down at the coast or wherever they get over winter.”
“Only one car has passed me this morning – usually get 4 or 5 - (this is the old packhorse trail out of Oxenhope which is not sure if it's a road or not). Maybe it’s because this is Monday, and my usual day for the journey is Tuesday.”
“Look at the wind turbines to see which way the wind's blowing - looks to be coming from the North (just a breeze though), so I'll probably have a slight Hedwig going home.”
“Now we can start enjoying the ride. The next 7 miles are downhill (although the last couple have quite a bit of commuter traffic).”
“Mind flowing free now - Cycling is My Salvation! Shout it from the hilltops! Messrs. Shimano and Campagnolo versus Mr. Clarkson we have right on our side,
speaking of which, watch out for that 4x4 on the right hand side.”
“When the oil runs out we, the cyclists of the nation, shall lay claim to the motorways. An imagined conversation between two cyclists of the future: ‘I fancy cycling the scenic route today’ ‘Oh, you mean the old M1?’ ‘Yeah, why not?’"
I don't think a detailed training log would be particularly interesting, but here are a few random thoughts which passed across my mind during the 9-mile commute to Halifax this morning (which is part of my new training regime).
As I set off from the house at 7:10 am "It's noticeably lighter this morning -
I can actually see the little indicators on each twist grip which tell me which gears I'm in.”
“Careful - might be a little bit of frost and ice around on the tops this morning.
“Oh, the wonders of the Nexus 8-speed hub - all those little cogs whirring round inside doing their inscrutable Japanese impersonation of a 11-34T cassette!”
“And my home-made chain tensioner which allows me to run a Stronglight triple 48/38/24 at the front, giving me the ability to get up this big nasty hill out of Oxenhope. Good technology! I am smug about that!“
“Wonder if the Rohloff Speedhub is the next step? Can I justify that expense?
You could buy 2 half-decent bikes for just the cost of the hub.”
“I'm at the top of that dreaded climb (800 feet in 2 miles). Blimey I've done it in 32 mins is that a personal best? Can't remember. Memo to self - keep a proper training log!”
“Now we're on the top of the moor. No sign of the curlews yet - must be still down at the coast or wherever they get over winter.”
“Only one car has passed me this morning – usually get 4 or 5 - (this is the old packhorse trail out of Oxenhope which is not sure if it's a road or not). Maybe it’s because this is Monday, and my usual day for the journey is Tuesday.”
“Look at the wind turbines to see which way the wind's blowing - looks to be coming from the North (just a breeze though), so I'll probably have a slight Hedwig going home.”
“Now we can start enjoying the ride. The next 7 miles are downhill (although the last couple have quite a bit of commuter traffic).”
“Mind flowing free now - Cycling is My Salvation! Shout it from the hilltops! Messrs. Shimano and Campagnolo versus Mr. Clarkson we have right on our side,
speaking of which, watch out for that 4x4 on the right hand side.”
“When the oil runs out we, the cyclists of the nation, shall lay claim to the motorways. An imagined conversation between two cyclists of the future: ‘I fancy cycling the scenic route today’ ‘Oh, you mean the old M1?’ ‘Yeah, why not?’"
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