your daily bicycle log

that sounds insane. i wouldn't have gotten out of the car in that

Velodrome racing season opening night was on Tuesday. I did a guided trainer class twice a week this winter with a handfull of friends (doing it all together in the driveway made it a lot easier to stick to the plan) so I'm a bit more fitter than I've been the last few years, but I was still not able to stick with the sustained attacks on the last couple of laps of the races. 27 - 28mph was fine, but when it was in the 30s, I just couldn't spin my legs fast enough to hang. Still, I felt like I wasn't 100% outclassed out there like I did in the last few years, even if it was nothing like how I felt in my good years when the first 80% of the race felt like I was just cruising and the last 20% was the only hard bit.

I think if I start doing some specific high speed work and throw on a bit bigger gear (I was running 90 gear inches) I might be able to be acutally racing, instead of just hanging on by the time the season is finished.

Lots of fun, anyway.
https://www.strava.com/activities/2261359878

so good, keep in there.

not on the track in my case, but racing generally, you spend so long every winter/spring just to get to the point where you can sorta maybe almost guess where you *might* be or *might* get to--

racing just becomes this ever-growing massive roi equation as you age. you gotta really luurrrve it. or not have other things in the way, i guess.

my last race period pre-tbi was a very isolated jump back into cx in 2014 (after many years off all racing). my biggest friend was def low expectations, generous forgetfulness of previous capacities, and focusing on fun in front of the low expectations.

'forgetfulness of previous capacities' really hits it squarely on the head. Intellectually, I know that at some point in my life I was sprinting for points during the bell laps and winning races (at this level of competition) but physically it feels so far away from my current capacities that it seems like some kind of implanted memory or something. Did that stuff actually really happen or am I just old-timering it? Anyway, the track scene is still so fun and friendly to me that my motivation is high.

Here is a nice photo from that night (I'm the absolute unit in 2nd place here) https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/56476846_10156194113268807_4163668109946781696_o.jpg?_nc_cat=102&_nc_ht=scontent-lax3-1.xx&oh=594ccd87f99ff5bf6b05a79c08ac82ac&oe=5D390586

so many horses on the track, just looking at it skeers me away. nice!

yes very cool photo!

last week i got my first new mountain bike for 15 years (specialized chisel xc hardtail), but already my son already seems to have commandeered it so i'm back in ye ancient rocky mountain which was once such an awesome speedy thing but looks like such an antiquated wreck now with its little wheels and narrow bars and triple chainset - such a perfect embodiment of my own way-past-my-bestness, i'm secretly glad that i don't have to try and pretend to be fast on it

i went out on my modern trailbike last week (27.5x3”, 1x11, 150mm/135mm, nice dropper) and it was great and efficient and all that, but when i’m really happy on trails right now, it’s the 20 yr old ti with dirtdrops, 3x9, 80mm fork, speedy 26x2.1 tubeless. i can take it anywhere, and it will not be the fastest on each segment, but _across_ the disciplines (which is where it lives), it is the fastest if i am the fastest.
one discipline that i try to keep it away from? riding on my car. which is one reason i made it.

it started as a whim on an old station bike frame, but i found it rules.

nickb if you’re within 10mi of trailhead, dirtdrop/ld stem it, put on fast center ridge-y 2.1s, rip it. if yr not that close, it’s still a comfy way to mtb, if yr new steed has been seized to support the struggles.

lol sorry,long- i’m feelin that religion. part of me thinks i’m just pose-y because style’s got a lot of gravel crossover, but from the other direction.

i'm only about 2 miles from the local trails. probably won't go for drops though, it's a full susser and i think i'd get myself arrested by the trail police for that! have got a pile of junk bikes in the loft though including a nice steel reynolds-tubed voodoo so maybe that could be a little project one day...

yeah full sus would not be natural fit there.

Seems like Er time i get ready for mtb we get another one of these which slows it down
https://www.google.com/amp/s/denver.cbslocal.com/2019/04/09/denver-weather-temperature-drop-powerful-storm-colorado-snow/amp/

When i say it was 80° yesterday, i mean it was actually 80° and i went up 3000’, to 8400’, no gilet or armwarmers. Want more dry trails wah

trails are already pretty dry and fast round here - might do my first xc race in years next weekend and if the decent weather here stays put, i'm in serious danger of running out of excuses

First cycle in nearly 3.5 years this evening. Just under 12 miles, was alright.

Same ride I did last Saturday, except without jetlag and faster.

alright all. my rides are samey but fun in the last few days, but i'm generally doing more of it, so that keeps me feeling ok.

I did that mountain bike race a couple of weekends ago and did hilariously badly. Forgot what it was like to be under pressure on twisty singletrack with a bunch of people right up your arse, so stressful. I ended up losing it on a corner, my front wheel washed out and went down like a bag of spuds - smashed my knee and somehow put the cage of my rear mech through the spokes of my back wheel. By the time I’d managed to pull everything back into shape, the field were long gone and I spent an entire lap dead last before I managed to start catching a few people. Got lapped by the leaders though, and passed by my own son who went past me like lightning while I was slowly exploding on a climb ;_;

Gotta say though that despite my own crapness, it was brilliant fun and I can’t wait for the next one

Only other noteworthy ride i’ve done recently is we cycled back from my mother’s house at Easter mostly using off-road trails ~120 miles, took forever because it was mostly on canal towpaths etc on a sunny public holiday, fishermen and dog walkers and hikers and bloody cyclists all over the shop, had to keep stopping every 100 meters in some places to let people through. Also my freehub fell apart when I took my wheel off to fix a puncture, never had to put one back together before, kept losing bits in the gravel so it was somewhat frought. Survived but the young lad is threatening to take me out tomorrow again for another beasting, oh joy!

https://strava.app.link/mfdAxmojrW

Ha those adventures sound wild. A little jealous your kid joins in the sport, keep it going-

i’ve got adventures coming up, so ive wanted to ride more/get better fitness. that, combined with ~difficult life situations~ which seem to drive me to hammer harder and longer have me spending too much time playing and not enuf time trying to get productive. I srsly bonked last week (like the not able to focus eyes, drowsy, falling asleep on the bike kind of sugar depletion), and started to again today after 5 hrs of pounding.

also weird bike parts are getting bought. it’s sorta bad, but i am optimistic i can get through before loved ones have an intervention lol.

Had a day in northern Wales yesterday (followed by a very long drive home) and took in a couple of climbs that are about five times bigger than anything where I live: https://youtu.be/gDfNDE5gmro

looks lovely!

Thanking the Lord for having me intersect with someone juuuust a bit slower than me toward the end of my ride, so we could pass each other a couple times before I rode triumphantly away uphill. Where I was promptly crushed by two trim young men who each appeared to be at their resting heart rate.

Got some solid miles in at the weekend - rode with my son from Brighton to Winchester and back over the local chain of hills (the south downs), 145 miles all in one hit, 99% off road and 15,000 ft of climbing. Still didn't manage to wear the lad out, he only struggled during the last hour really and that was totally due to a lack of sleep (we left home at 3AM and got back at 11PM). Weather was kind and the puncture gods were lenient (only three, all poxy thorns). Stats and photos and shit here: https://www.strava.com/activities/2397156214

holy shit, guy

Oh man. that looks brutal.

Saturday I did an mtb ride (3000ft of asphalt climb/descent as access) with two really strong guys, only did like 7500ft climbing total tho. bonked _again_ like an hour from done.

i actually ended up passing out in a tamale shop after eating a huge smothered ground beef and potato burrito with two cans of coke. I was alone, in full gear, and i finished eating.

the next thing i knew a kindly 60 y/o was waking me with “sir?” *my head snaps up* “sir your sunglasses are on the floor, i dont want you to step on them— are you ok?” so that was humiliating and hilarious really.

missus hunt3r, who strongly disagrees with my riding at all pretty much, just eyerolled. “has to be _drama_, every time.” 😕

in hunt3r’s head “aw cmon, that’s good drama”!

Haha, you take care out there hunt3r! :D

Great ride, Nick

A friend of a friend who puts on cycling events took over the management of the "Great Western Bicycle Rally" a few years ago, so my wife and I joined with my friend and his girlfriend last weekend to ride it. It was started by the Los Angeles Wheelmen club in the mid 60's and has been going strong since then, taking place mostly in Paso Robles (wine country town in central California). My wife and I, at 43 were about the youngest people there, to give you some idea about the crowd. The rally has the use of the Paso Robles fairground, where everybody camps out and goes on any number of rides throughout the weekend, depending on what they're into. Real Fred hours. We took our gravel bikes and did rides on routes through mostly gravel vineyard access roads on Saturday and Sunday. Sunday's ride took us through some really amazing gravel canyon routes under partly cloudy and intermittently sprinkling skies. Amazing roads and views, very much the epitome of central California terrain. Ended up with a bottle of wine and crackers at a really nice local vineyard, cooked a meal on my camp stove and told stories around the campfire. Pretty good stuff.

My buddy's strava of the ride, with photos: https://www.strava.com/activities/2400364795 (I'm on the Giant with yellow bartape)

That looks really fun. Kiler/Cypress/Santa Rita seem pretty legit for Freds with wine. do they still use that term in CA? i heard it _a lot_ at end of 80s on east coast and when i rode transcontinental, but i don't think i've really heard it in CO (91-now), even when i was racing.

i was so pissed about my second bonk of year last saturday that i _re-rode_ the same course today. i think i only took like 25 mins off my riding time, but i ate and drank constantly. i haven't been so anal about 250cal/hour in 20 years. but i was so much more comfortable. a highlight: double flour tortilla rollup filled with thin-ish layer of nutella and 3 slices of turkey. salty sweet savory bready: tasty tho supermessy around 5.25 hrs.
https://www.strava.com/activities/2412669001

Dignity restored :D

that is some serious strongo hulkington nuevo cuisine

so for a lot of reasons I don't ride during the week any more, just run or do gym stuff. then one ride on the weekends.

today i realized that even though i'm once riding once a week i'm still finishing a flattish 50 miles with plenty left in the tank. so i have no excuse (apart from lack of riding buddies) for not doing my old favorite 60+ mile hilly EPIC RIDES.

going a big bike tour next week lads - 1300kms + 18km vertical. 9 days of riding - all on B-roads, canal paths and wind farm/logging access tracks. wish me luck : |

Nice one, have a good time! I’m heading off on a trip with my son tomorrow, we’re riding from Brighton to North Yorks via some sustrans routes plus the Pennine Bridleway over the Peak District / Yorkshire Dales. Slightly apprehensive, I’ve had the most banging of headaches for the last two weeks solid, hope I can shake that soon. Hope the weather perks up a bit and all, we’re going to be sleeping out under the stars, so could really do without getting pissed upon all day long

Those both sound fun! Man, what region is that first one? it's 2000m of vert a day.

I'm nearing the end of a bike-obsessive "big day" period. The season for high country exploits is closing, so I sorta have to just go, or shut up.

Friday I at least got over 4000m elev once. I wanted to do 2 separate crossings over 4k, but I ran out of time and energy. I may retry it solo. More people is funner and safer, but slower, even if I was the slowest in my small group.

bottom of scotland (mull of galloway) to the top (dunnet head). route here:
http://www.albannach.cc/thefaultlinetrail/

says 14km up there. still chunky

crivvens!

sounds cracking/daunting

this link says 18.5k up so who knows. will hurt regardless no doubt
https://www.komoot.com/collection/888199/-thefaultlinetrail?ref=wcl-m

aye - deffo daunting. been enough of a mission already just mapping out evenly spaced cafes/restaurants/spars/londis’s

I’ve done multi-day 80+ mile rides before - though typically on silky smooth mallorcan tarmac so I’m not underestimating the challenge. nutrition and the mental game will be key - that and not pushing it like an idiot and instead trying to enjoy it at a decent (but not slow) touring pace

day 1 was HOT HOT HOT. scotland currently basking in a heatwave (25C+). 80 miles in the heat led to a long day - riding partner had never ridden proper gravel either so when we hit that at 70 miles in - ... not good. 5/6 miles that should have taken about 30 mins took about 1h15. got through it though - big effort from her, v proud

I hear you. Did 95 miles today down to Hastings via many hills in baking heat and feel dead now.

my eldest got interviewed by cycling weekly (long-running uk mag) at the weekend (!) - a couple of weeks back he did the south downs way double in a crazy fast time (second fastest official time for the route and he's only 15) so they wanted to talk to him about that. the south downs way is ~96 miles offroad trail with about 11,000 feet of climbing, so twice that. i tried to do a road version at the same time, but totally blew up trying to get ahead to meet him at the road crossings (had to get rescued by my wife). super proud of him, not sure i'm ever going to get my bike back though

stats:
https://www.strava.com/activities/2708866153

amazing !!

holy amazing. *bows low*

it's completely bonkers, it just boggles me how fast he is now

how does one roll out an offroad double metric+ concept to parents? does he have a crew that rolls like that because, man.

“dad, I am both a weapon and a hitter, so...”

he did it all unsupported too - carried all his own food, spares, lights and clothes. no drafting and insisted on opening every single gate himself (and there are millions of those to go through). planned out where he was going to start from and at what time, all of it was on him. i was just there trying to keep an eye on him as a concerned parent, and you can guess how well that went down

he did a little write-up of it for the south downs double website:
https://www.southdownsdouble.co.uk/2019/09/14/unbelievable-ride-by-bill-and-he-is-just-15-years-old/

tell him he needs to do a one day/fkt of kokopelli, i’ll drive and wrench, youre on h2o drops, and we’ll try to abduct gbx as medical backup (which won’t be needed but he needs to be there).

tell him he needs to do a one day/fkt of kokopelli, i’ll drive and wrench, youre on h2o drops, and we’ll try to abduct gbx as medical backup (which won’t be needed but he needs to be there).

:)