Well we have had 6 inches of mud followed by pouring rain so it only stands to reason that this weeks ride should have taken place in 12inches of perfect, fresh, powdery snow. ! With the thermometer dropping to minus 2 on the way to meet at the shop the only thing on my mind (apart from why did you have that second bottle of red wine you fool) was to remember to take heed of my own advice for once in my life. Winter gloves and Sealskinz socks. And how glad I was that I did. Preparing myself for fairly lonely ride around with Wayne I was pleasantly surprised to find two eager riders waiting in the shop, not put off one bit by the white stuff. And fella’s shame on you – while you were all hiding under the duvets waiting for the heating to come on and the missus to make you a nice cup of tea it was Debs and Hannah that braved the elements to show who really is the tougher of the sexes.
Both girls managed to combine their two favourite hobbies under the same roof, opting for a quick trolley dash around the shop (Hannah, winter gloves and Debs, tyres) whilst I stared in disbelief at the size and thickness of the Sealskinz socks I had just put on. The Elephant Man had daintier looking feet. My primary concern now was how to squeeze my newly developed Elephantitis into my MW50 summer boots that were already a little on the tight side. 10 minutes of cursing and swearing saw the Velcro finally fasten on both shoes and I embarked upon the walk out into the car park like a 18the Century Geisha with newly bound feet. Not a problem I thought – its a bike ride so fortunately I won’t be doing much walking.............. I was soon to regret that thought. The winter boots are on order – but its still not cold enough for full length leggings. The Ginger Prince and were still showing several inches of flesh on our legs – which turned a funny purple colour within a few minutes of setting off.
We had decided to ride and start low so headed out to Allerston which in the summer has some of the best, flowy single track ascents and descents around, particularly the final 2 mile descent back to the Cayley Arms car park though the trees. However today this had all been replace by snow. And a bloody lot of it. Needless to say our exit from the car park on the bikes was brought to a fairly abrupt halt several hundred metres later as we moved off the compacted snow on the road and into the virgin powder on the fire road. Now I am not saying that we like to make things tough for ourselves but you would imagine that when riding in snow the use of gears might come in handy? Well it seems that 3 of us forgot ours with only Hannah opting to have the luxury of being able to change up or down the cogs. Wayne, Debs and I had decided to bring the Singlespeeds out convincing ourselves that the low maintenance approach was the best way forward. What transpired over the next 1hr was pretty much ride a bit, push a bit, ride a bit, push a bit as we worked out way up on to the tops above Allerston. The snow was not only taking its toll on our progress, but on mother nature as well. Were we able to have gathered any momentum on the bikes this would have been cut short by the sheer number of trees which had fallen across the paths and roads, the weight of the snow on their branches bringing them down. This in its own right made for some interesting “hike a bike activity” as we clambered over the debris.
Once eventually on the top we pushed on along the single track, this time able to ride for quite long stints. Wayne led out at the front with me bringing up the rear, the two girls sandwiched in between us. Hannah took this opportunity to ensure that every low snow covered branch or tree she went under was suitably shaken with uncanny timing to ensure that it dumped its entire cold load on me as I passed under. Hannah you are a child and bears have very good memories......
Another 30mins of picking slowly along the single track, making way for the few ramblers who looked at us as though we belonged in Bootham, led us to the start of the descent back into Allerston. I should point out at this stage that we had been riding for about 1hr45minutes at this stage and Wayne had not uttered a single word. Apparently he was “just hungry”. It’s a shame alcohol calories don’t fill you up or he would have been plenty stuffed from the night before. The descent back down to the Cayley Arms took another 20minutes as we gingerly picked out way down through the trees before finally reaching the cars. Bikes packed away in record time we headed back into Pickering to the warmth of Russell’s Cafe for a damn good fry up. Perfect
Next week we will be aiming for fire and brimstone, or at the very least some form of volcanic eruption to make the ride interesting. See you all on Saturday.
Simon.
Monday 29 November 2010
Sunday 28 November 2010
Zen & The Art of Riding In Snow
Riding in snow is fun but can be frustrating if you can’t keep going!! The key to this is momentum but that is hard to achieve even when you have to pedal down hill so here are a few tips for riding in the white stuff.
Tyre Choice - An open aggressive tread pattern will give you plenty of grip in snow so a good mud tyre is key here. Something like a Bontrager Mud X, or a Panaracer Trailraker work well but even something like a Continental Mountain King or Maxxis Hi-Roller will give you plenty of grip if used correctly. No matter what you have on the rear though the only way to get the best out of it is to let the pressure down. This way you are using as much of the tread as possible and spreading you weight over a greater contact area - which gives you better traction.
Gear Choice - This one is difficult to advise on but which ever one you decide on (or which one your left with when things ice up!) the key is smooth round circles. Not that again I hear you cry! Too heavy a gear is difficult to push through the snow and will have you standing out the bike. This will lighten the rear end and then it will spin up giving you no grip. Too lighter a gear will see you spinning up the back all the time which is a waste of your energy (and it’s hard enough already so you need all you can get). The ideal choice is personal to fitness level, gradient of trail, tyre tread pattern etc but choose one somewhere in the middle that will let you sit in the bike and pedal in those smooth round circles. That way you maximise your travelling for the energy you are putting in.
Steering – This has to be long and slow. All too often in snow the bike will stall at the front from twitchy steering. Balance on the bike helps a lot, so steer as much as you can with your body. The best way to achieve smooth slow steering is to pick your eyes up and look down the trail about twice as far as you normally do. This way you aren’t reacting to what’s immediately in-front of you so the physical steer on the bars is less and it becomes more instinctive with the body.
Braking – Grabbing handfuls of brake in snow is only good for one thing and that’s sliding down the trail on your.....well, you get the picture! Anticipate the trail, brake well in advance of any obstacle but ultimately try not to. The drag of the snow will help slow you down naturally but if you have to brake, do it gently.
Line Choice – Depending on the type of snow you are riding in line choice can be key to keeping going. For example, in powder it’s easier sometimes to plough your own line as you get better traction from compressing the snow under your tyres than you would get from following someone else’s tracks in-front as that line can be slippery now. Of course you have to balance the effort of pushing against the snow with the traction you gain but sometimes this also helps with the steering as you look at the trail rather than someone else’s line and you don’t stall where they stalled etc. In heavier snows often someone else’s track is the easiest line as the energy expenditure of pushing against the snow is too great otherwise, but just remember to anticipate where a stall has occurred and try to correct it before you succumb too.
Besides riding tips there are a few other things to consider when riding in cold conditions:
A very good idea before you head in to the white stuff is to spray the mechs, exposed cable ends & spd’s with de-icer. This way you stand half a chance of keeping them working. It’s not guaranteed but it’s certainly better than the alternative of having the gears stick the first time you go to shift them or spend the whole ride not being able to clip-in. Avoid spraying the brake rotors when spraying the rear end though.
Be aware that the brakes will feel sluggish and the forks/rear shock will be slower in operation due to the “thickening” effect the cold has on oil. They will still work just a lot slower. Also wind chill on the gear pods can make them colder than the air temp and they do stop working due to the grease in them getting stiffer or any water in them freezing up.
Not to state the obvious but snow is white. In bright sunlight it’s very white so don’t underestimate the advantage of a pair of sunglasses. Staring at a white canvass tends to flatten the trail so you end up concentrating on it twice as hard as normal. This will give you a headache in no time and coupled with a cold head is not a good place to be in.
Take your normal pack with you but be aware that the hose on your bladder might freeze up at some point. This can be avoided by using an insulated one or tucking it in the pack and removing it when you need it, just don’t forget to put it back.
Obviously when its cold it pays to wrap up warm, but biking in the snow in no cool affair. Kit choice is very important as it’s very easy to put too many layers on and you end up sweating too much. While your working this isn’t too bad but if you have to stop for a while you do chill down very quickly as the sweat draws heat away from you as it evaporates. Wicking base layers are a good way of avoiding “wetting out” from the inside leaving you dryer on the inside when you have to stop. A waterproof jacket that breathes is a must also, as its no good drawing the moisture away from your skin and not allowing it out to the air. Some sort of headwear is also a good idea as cold ears or a cold forehead for any prolonged period of time are no fun at all. Gloves are very important as cold fingers make doing anything on the bike a real chore. A good wind & waterproof pair of gloves are essential and if they are insulated with “Thinsulate” they will keep you warm even when they do get wet as nothing is totally waterproof!
Above all when it comes to kit I can not stress the importance of dry warm feet too much. If you put your money into any winter specific clobber make it the best pair of boots you can afford. Cold legs, arms, fingers etc compare nothing to cold wet toes. If you’ve ever spent an hour waiting for your feet to warm up after a snowy ride you’ll know what I mean. Just standing on the snow will draw heat away from your feet and as much as it’s supposed to be a ride there is always plenty of pushing to do in the snow.
If you want any more advice from riding tips, to bike setup or kit choice just ask in the shop we are always happy to discuss anything you need.
Thursday 25 November 2010
Grass / mud / shivering / poor result = enjoyable race? it can only be...
Cyclo-Cross: CXNE round 7
Wow, what a mud and grass fest this was! Mike, David, Matthew (chief squealer) and I squeezed ourselves into Mikes vdub and set off to Barnard Castle on Sunday morning.
Everyone was on their nice CX specific bikes apart from me on my 12yr old hard tail mtb. I did however have a new set of ‘cross’ specific tyres fitted to make it a bit more appropriate to the typical cyclo-cross conditions.
I did a bit of cross years ago and there are certain features of the racing that don’t change; the most prominent of those being the temperature! Shivering before and after the race is mandatory.
There were 90 starters and the standard ranged from Paul Oldham, who is the Hope sponsored points leader in UK cyclo-cross this season, to a complete novice on a mountain bike. On a shortish lap, where the quick riders will lap the back markers at least twice, this big difference in ability can lead to a bit of tension as the leaders hustle past the slower riders. The atmosphere of the race was however very civilised with polite passing being the norm and none of the jostling and swearing you can get in a pack of racing roadies.
The course was a wiggly loop around a field with a few tarmac sections, a pair of up hill hurdles and that was pretty much it. It was not very technical; the biggest challenge was keeping grip on the off camber downhill corners and on a short mud climb through a narrow gate opening. Still, it was a good racing course and I definitely enjoyed the experience.
I could not really see who was where once the race got going. I set off from the middle of the pack, got boxed in on the first corner and then remained in a lowly position thereafter. Mike Aitch was the quickest of us although Matthew was off and racing with the quick lads in the top 20. David was just behind me and was going well until his cleat slipped and pointed his toe into the front wheel. He managed for a while but then disaster struck as his foot broke a spoke and pushed the spoke through the rim and into his tube and tyre. Game over.
My final score was 54th. Oh well, that gives me something to work on! Results aside this was a great workout and I will certainly aim to do a few more. You just simply do not push yourself that hard if you are not riding in a race! I would recommend this to anyone who secretly enjoys a bit of suffering and competition or would just like to improve their fitness.
The bikes post-race were so full of mud and grass that I could not see any part of the rear mech. How it all kept working perfectly I have no idea; good old Shimano SLX. There must have been 2lb of mud and grass pressed into my front crud catcher alone.
With yet another forecast of prolonged snow and ice this winter my road riding plans may come to a temporary halt for now. After a rather scary 20mph rear wheel slide on black ice last week, a bit of soft, wet cold mud seems far preferable to landing on hard icy tarmac. I don’t bounce like I used to. Mark.
Wednesday 24 November 2010
Turbo Training
The rack. Voluntary torture. Ineffective euthanasia. These are all terms that can be applied to turbo training.
At this time of year when you start to see snow forecast it can however be a good option to turn to and for some odd reason I quite like it when I am in the mood for it. There are however a couple of things that I absolutely must have to make the session endurable:
1. An i-pod or a radio on loud and close to my head!
2. A heart rate monitor on the handlebars so I can see what my heart rate is doing
Without these two items the session is pointless for me. Metallica compilations have been the most effective and spurred me to do the best workouts. Never listen to them normally but great for turbo training!
A plan: plans are good!... but you do not always know how your legs and mind will respond to a turbo session, so if you do have a fixed plan and then can’t complete it this can be disappointing and de-motivating.
Time on the turbo: An hour seems to be a bit of a benchmark with regards timing. This allows for a 15 min warm up and a 5-10 min warm down with the serious action in between. I can do an hour but no more on a turbo. The good news is that if you are constantly working for that hour then it is the equivalent to at least double the amount of time you would need on the road / in the woods to get the same fitness benefit.
On reflection I think I have been at my fittest when adding at least one hard turbo session in per week.
There are loads of routines and links if you google the topic but here are a couple to have a look at.
Give it a go. You might surprise yourself and enjoy it. You certainly won’t have to clean your bike after it!
Cyclo Cross Barnard Castle Sunday 21st November 2010
Sunday morning saw the Bears first excursion in to the world of Cyclo Cross. Having signed up for the Yorkshire League back in September and taking delivery of the bikes in October we thought it about time we actually went and did a race. The Cross season runs from September through to February....ish so there is a race somewhere every weekend but somehow a wet morning in Bradford in the Yorkshire league didn’t seem that appealing so we decided we would travel over to Barnard Castle and enter Round 7 of the North East League instead. This race was recommended to us by one of our good friends in the Malton Wheelers so we loaded up the team van and 3 Bears and 1 Wheeler headed up the A1.
The race meet starts at 1030 with the under 8’s and under 12’s races running first. The main event kicks off at 1230 with the juniors, seniors and the vets all running in the same race.
We arrived at 1130 and went straight to registration. After unpacking the van it was time to get changed. The drive up had been a mixed bag of weather but it wasn’t raining for now but it was bitterly cold. Not sure on the racing etiquette I decided that full length lycra lowers would be a good choice given the chance of rain (and the high chance of mud) but I was not giving up the Zen so I would still be racing in a peak!
After kitting up we headed to the course for a practice lap. This was the first time the cross bike was going to be used in anger and with no shake down ride before hand the gears on the practice lap were jumping all over the place. The course was a mix or grass field and concrete/tarmac roads. There were 2 sections of hurdles (4 to 9 inch pieces of timber) which would force a dismount but other than that the course was pretty much all rideable ....for now.
After sorting out the gears I had all of them except granny, but seen as though I don’t usually need that one it would be fine? We headed for the start at the bottom of the course and with rider numbers in the 90’s it was going to be a crowd in the first couple of corners. Before long the whistle sounded and the race was on. As this was my first cross race and I was starting in the middle of the season I opted to start towards the back and see how far up the field I could get. Before we had crossed the line for the first time I was regretting that decision as I was already passing quite a few riders as the MTB XC skills of riding in mud were coming in quite useful, especially in the tight turns and off camber sections.
After a few laps and continuing to pass people the course was getting quite cut up. There had been a defined line around the circuit but this was getting progressively wider as people were struggling for grip. I quickly learned that the course was one of 2 halves. Spin smoothly on the grass pushing as hard as you could just to the point of losing it while standing out of the pedals on the road sections for a quick spurt of speed before braking like mad before a hairpin turn! - talk about lactate burn.
As the lap count on the line began to fall the course just got more and more slimy with more and more sections becoming quicker to run on. This was demonstrated to me by a few riders on some sections only for me to reel them back in and pass them on a straight again. It is not in my nature to run with a bike coming from a MTB background but eventually I had to succumb as the course was now unrideable in some sections and only just good enough to run on!
Remember I said I would need granny? Well guess what! With the bike getting more and more clogged up with mud and the course getting worse with every lap grip was becoming an issue now as I was just spinning up the rear wheel all the time on any sort of climb. All I could do was hold the gear lever in so that the chain would climb the cassette but with just too much mud on the bike it would not stay there. This did give me an automatic gearbox when granny was no longer required though, which was nice!
In the last couple of laps and the field now thinned out it came down to a game of cat & mouse between me and one of the local boys for what ever position I was now in. Eventually I made some clear air as his gears were skipping worse than mine and I crossed the line with the legs burning from the last uphill sprint to the finish.
Eventually I finished in 38th position completing 9 laps! To put this in to context only the top 10 did 10 laps and everyone else up to 40th did 9 laps so not too bad a result for my first ever cross race. The other bear results were Mark Hancock in 54th on 8 laps and Dave got a DNF when a loose cleat put his foot through the front wheel and he bust a spoke. Mathew from the Wheelers finished 15th.
Check out the race report on British Cycling’s website here - http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/cyclocross/article/cyx20101121-Report--CXNE-Round-7-0.
This has a couple of video clips on YouTube which give you a good sense of the race.
Also the leagues website and full results can be found here - http://www.cxne.org.uk/results.html
Mike.
Tuesday 23 November 2010
How much running/cycling??
This blog follows on from Mph's "Run fat boy run" post, where the question posed was "how much running/training do you do?" Well now that's an interesting question and my guess would be that everyone you ask will come up with a different answer, depending mainly on A) their personal circumstances and B)what distance races they are training for. Personally I'm still in a bit of limbo between this years off season and next years base training. Having started the year by running 30 miles and biking 320 miles/month in January, increasing to running 100 and biking 600/month by April, I'm probably now back to only running 10 (!) and biking 300. Many people will probably argue that it's quality that counts not quantity but I needed to build up my base endurance as that was lacking for me personally.
Suffice to say for now, if you are starting back to running from 'nowt then don't overdo it to begin with otherwise you'll end up with lots of DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness - oops sounds like it is too late for that), shin splits and a general lack of enjoyment. Build up gradually, no more than a 10% increase in mileage per week, build in some simple stretches before and after the run and remember that the first mile is the worst as it takes a while for your cardiovascular system to rev up and deliver the extra oxygen to those muscles.
Perhaps I can pass on some thoughts about training hours from Philip Graves who visited some of our students today in York and spent an hour with us discussing how he plans out his training year. Philip, born in York is a professional triathlete and in 2009 he won both the Ironman 70.3UK and Ironman UK events at just 20 years old. He will be base training from Dec - Feb with long steady rides, skills based stuff and drills. From Mar - Apr he builds up the intensity during the race preparation phase and then during the race season (he is focusing on Olympic distances - Middle distance triathlons now) he races every 3 weeks. He averages 30 hours training per week, preferably somewhere hot!
A running colleague of mine who admits to being lazy, opts not to train much but races every weekend, as his own way of training! (His PB at a marathon is 3.09, whilst Philip Graves posts 2:52 for his marathon after a 2.4m swim and 112 miles on his bike!).
So I doubt this has answered your question, but it's a start and I look forward to hearing everyone else's viewpoint! If anyone has a training plan for how to improve your half marathon time I would be interested! (MF)
Suffice to say for now, if you are starting back to running from 'nowt then don't overdo it to begin with otherwise you'll end up with lots of DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness - oops sounds like it is too late for that), shin splits and a general lack of enjoyment. Build up gradually, no more than a 10% increase in mileage per week, build in some simple stretches before and after the run and remember that the first mile is the worst as it takes a while for your cardiovascular system to rev up and deliver the extra oxygen to those muscles.
Perhaps I can pass on some thoughts about training hours from Philip Graves who visited some of our students today in York and spent an hour with us discussing how he plans out his training year. Philip, born in York is a professional triathlete and in 2009 he won both the Ironman 70.3UK and Ironman UK events at just 20 years old. He will be base training from Dec - Feb with long steady rides, skills based stuff and drills. From Mar - Apr he builds up the intensity during the race preparation phase and then during the race season (he is focusing on Olympic distances - Middle distance triathlons now) he races every 3 weeks. He averages 30 hours training per week, preferably somewhere hot!
A running colleague of mine who admits to being lazy, opts not to train much but races every weekend, as his own way of training! (His PB at a marathon is 3.09, whilst Philip Graves posts 2:52 for his marathon after a 2.4m swim and 112 miles on his bike!).
So I doubt this has answered your question, but it's a start and I look forward to hearing everyone else's viewpoint! If anyone has a training plan for how to improve your half marathon time I would be interested! (MF)
Monday 22 November 2010
Those of you that frequently get out there and do it will understand what I am talking about when I mention those random cuts and scrapes that you get on your legs – even though you know you haven’t come off the bike. UBI’s (Unidentified Biking Injuries) as we like to call them. And those of you know me and/or have ridden with me will know that I am the absolute master when it comes to them, never seeming to end a ride without the proverbial claret exiting from some part of my legs. What I have never managed until this Saturday was to obtain such an injury before I actually left the bike shop.
So the ride started off with a decent amount of blood emerging from a ‘F’ shaped cut. Heaven knows where that came from but thankfully the shop has Public Liability insurance............
I’m not sure Big Bear Bikes has ever had 14 people in the shop at 9am on a Saturday morning but we did this week. Word is obviously getting around about the Saturday shop ride as we had 12 riders this week. That’s a 6-fold increase in 3 weeks. If we continue along that growth curve we will have a bigger turnout than this years Tour by Christmas.
We were riding from Wykeham this week headed off in convoy to our starting point – The Downe Arms – where in return for them letting us share their car park we spend a bit of money behind the bar afterwards. We had left Pickering sunshine but as is the way in the Moors by the time we got to Wykeham and assembled the bikes the drizzle had started. And didn’t stop for the next 3 hours and 26kms. The start from Wykeham heads up out of the village before heading turning of the road to start a flowing, undulating loop which takes in the infamous Wykeham downhill for those wanting to have a go at it.
Considering the constant drizzle falling the trail was actually not too wet and muddy with only a few parts getting a little sticky. Having spent much of last week pushing his bike through the gloop of Levisham, Rich returning for his second ride had opted to put a set of winter mud tyres on his bike before the ride just in case which seemed to perform well especially when we got to the first serious bit of mud. John Putsey did the honourable thing by blasting down the hill into the gloop to show us the line not to take as we rode around him lying face down in the mud. Thanks John! The ride continued with the whole group making good progress until we reached the top of the Wykeham downhill which is challenging (but superb fun) at the best of times but after a summers abuse, exposed roots and persistent drizzle I knew it was going to be a challenge too far for some of the group so we split briefly allowing those that wanted to ride it to follow me and those that didn’t went down a different route with Aitch. After the obligatory safety briefing conducted by my good self which I very clearly recall going something like “the roots are slippy so try avoid them, the drop offs have chicken runs either side – I definitely suggest you use them today, avoid the boardwalk and pallet sections as they will be treacherous and don’t even attempt any of the gap jumps because you won’t make them” I set off at a moderate pace with the group following. I’m not sure how far I got down before the groans, moans, crashes and bangs faded from earshot but I suspect it wasn’t that far. 5 minutes later a muddied and somewhat battered group assembled at the bottom recounting “over the bars” stories that involved wet roots, drop offs, boardwalks and gap jumps (fair play to Matt for even attempting that one !!) Ever get the feeling people don’t take you seriously?
Anyway we were all smiling – which lasted approximately 30 seconds into the climb back out. For those that have done it before you will know just how relentless and steep the fire road and path out of the bottom of the valley back up to the view point is. A tough climb with 27 gears on your bike and for everyone apart from Aitch a “granny ring” climb. Well everyone except Aitch and me. I seemed to have forgotten when suggesting adding the downhill to the route that I was in fact on my new Pace 104. Singlespeed. 32/16. B@&&*@ks!!!!! 15 minutes later and with constant encouragement from Scotty telling me not even Wayne “ half man/half singlespeed” Elliott had made it up on a 32/16 I crested the hilled first, legs on fire, chest burning and my arms wrenched from their shoulders. One by one the others finally made it to the top.
And at this point I would like to name and shame the two Matts. The final two up the hill they had dropped back out of sight and mistaken their bikes for handbags. They would have gotten away with the push had they not been spotted 20metres from the summit jumping back on to some over the crest riding with the assembled group jeering and laughing. Good effort guys – you nearly fooled us. The next 45 minutes were really sweet flowy single track across the top of the moor heading back in the direction of the cars with a brief stop to chat to the local Master of the Hunt and his dogs who seemed to be also out enjoying himself with his fellow riders. Just goes to show it doesn’t matter what you ride you can have fun – even if it is a 17hands horse! His saddle looked a little more comfortable than mine
And so we arrived back at the car. Wet and slightly muddy, some knowing that there may be a few bruises tomorrow that were not there today, and me still marvelling at how I managed to draw blood standing stationary in doors in the shop.
See you all next week
Simon.
So the ride started off with a decent amount of blood emerging from a ‘F’ shaped cut. Heaven knows where that came from but thankfully the shop has Public Liability insurance............
I’m not sure Big Bear Bikes has ever had 14 people in the shop at 9am on a Saturday morning but we did this week. Word is obviously getting around about the Saturday shop ride as we had 12 riders this week. That’s a 6-fold increase in 3 weeks. If we continue along that growth curve we will have a bigger turnout than this years Tour by Christmas.
We were riding from Wykeham this week headed off in convoy to our starting point – The Downe Arms – where in return for them letting us share their car park we spend a bit of money behind the bar afterwards. We had left Pickering sunshine but as is the way in the Moors by the time we got to Wykeham and assembled the bikes the drizzle had started. And didn’t stop for the next 3 hours and 26kms. The start from Wykeham heads up out of the village before heading turning of the road to start a flowing, undulating loop which takes in the infamous Wykeham downhill for those wanting to have a go at it.
Considering the constant drizzle falling the trail was actually not too wet and muddy with only a few parts getting a little sticky. Having spent much of last week pushing his bike through the gloop of Levisham, Rich returning for his second ride had opted to put a set of winter mud tyres on his bike before the ride just in case which seemed to perform well especially when we got to the first serious bit of mud. John Putsey did the honourable thing by blasting down the hill into the gloop to show us the line not to take as we rode around him lying face down in the mud. Thanks John! The ride continued with the whole group making good progress until we reached the top of the Wykeham downhill which is challenging (but superb fun) at the best of times but after a summers abuse, exposed roots and persistent drizzle I knew it was going to be a challenge too far for some of the group so we split briefly allowing those that wanted to ride it to follow me and those that didn’t went down a different route with Aitch. After the obligatory safety briefing conducted by my good self which I very clearly recall going something like “the roots are slippy so try avoid them, the drop offs have chicken runs either side – I definitely suggest you use them today, avoid the boardwalk and pallet sections as they will be treacherous and don’t even attempt any of the gap jumps because you won’t make them” I set off at a moderate pace with the group following. I’m not sure how far I got down before the groans, moans, crashes and bangs faded from earshot but I suspect it wasn’t that far. 5 minutes later a muddied and somewhat battered group assembled at the bottom recounting “over the bars” stories that involved wet roots, drop offs, boardwalks and gap jumps (fair play to Matt for even attempting that one !!) Ever get the feeling people don’t take you seriously?
Anyway we were all smiling – which lasted approximately 30 seconds into the climb back out. For those that have done it before you will know just how relentless and steep the fire road and path out of the bottom of the valley back up to the view point is. A tough climb with 27 gears on your bike and for everyone apart from Aitch a “granny ring” climb. Well everyone except Aitch and me. I seemed to have forgotten when suggesting adding the downhill to the route that I was in fact on my new Pace 104. Singlespeed. 32/16. B@&&*@ks!!!!! 15 minutes later and with constant encouragement from Scotty telling me not even Wayne “ half man/half singlespeed” Elliott had made it up on a 32/16 I crested the hilled first, legs on fire, chest burning and my arms wrenched from their shoulders. One by one the others finally made it to the top.
And at this point I would like to name and shame the two Matts. The final two up the hill they had dropped back out of sight and mistaken their bikes for handbags. They would have gotten away with the push had they not been spotted 20metres from the summit jumping back on to some over the crest riding with the assembled group jeering and laughing. Good effort guys – you nearly fooled us. The next 45 minutes were really sweet flowy single track across the top of the moor heading back in the direction of the cars with a brief stop to chat to the local Master of the Hunt and his dogs who seemed to be also out enjoying himself with his fellow riders. Just goes to show it doesn’t matter what you ride you can have fun – even if it is a 17hands horse! His saddle looked a little more comfortable than mine
And so we arrived back at the car. Wet and slightly muddy, some knowing that there may be a few bruises tomorrow that were not there today, and me still marvelling at how I managed to draw blood standing stationary in doors in the shop.
See you all next week
Simon.
Saturday 20 November 2010
Run fat boy run
This blog is more of a question really as I would like to know about how much running training some of you do.
Reading about the duathlon stuff BBB have recently been involved in has aroused my interest in getting some running done.. particularly as I want to do some cross racing.
I went for a run on Thursday night; my first run since 2008! I woke up with stiff legs yesterday and they were even stiffer this morning. ...perhaps not the best thing to do before my race tomorrow.
Anyway, please post up some info on a typical training week where you incorporate running and cycling. I'd be interestd to see how much you do and what your total weekly training volume / time is.
Cheers! Mph
Reading about the duathlon stuff BBB have recently been involved in has aroused my interest in getting some running done.. particularly as I want to do some cross racing.
I went for a run on Thursday night; my first run since 2008! I woke up with stiff legs yesterday and they were even stiffer this morning. ...perhaps not the best thing to do before my race tomorrow.
Anyway, please post up some info on a typical training week where you incorporate running and cycling. I'd be interestd to see how much you do and what your total weekly training volume / time is.
Cheers! Mph
Thursday 18 November 2010
Saturday 13th November Shop Ride - How much mud??????
Apologies – the ‘work’ thing has gotten in the way quite a bit this week. Must try fix that for next week!
We were joined last Saturday by Team BBB’s resident physio Morgan, who is becoming a bit of a regular on the BBB rides (road & MTB) and a new friend of the shop called Richard. On arrving at the shop at 9am we were greeted by them looking what can only be described as pristine. Indeed Richard, courtesy of a very generous wife and birthday earlier in the week looked like he’d just stepped out of the Madison catalogue. They in turn were greeted by Wayne and I looking like we had just run all the way there through a muddy forest. Which in fairness we pretty much had.
We loaded the bikes up and set off to are starting point for the ride which this week was to be the Hole Of Horcum ride via Levisham. After the previous weeks bog fest in Newton we had faithfully promised to avoid the gloopy stuff. Im not going to lie to you – we failed. Spectacularly. In fact I would go as far as to say that it ws probably the muddiest ride I have ever done. Not aided by an epic ‘fail’ in terms of tyre choice. You would think I would no better by now.....
The ride started so well, lulling us all into a false sense of security as we headed out across the Moors on a near perfect November morning. After 30minutes of some fab riding we reached the top of a steep bank that heads down into the valley that would eventually take us alongside the NYM Railway towards Levisham station. With all the group stood taking in the fantastic view I bit the bullet and fired off down the steep moorland singletrack, aiming for the narrow tarmac road in the distance. How impressive it must have looked to those behind as moments later my rear wheel jammed, shifting the back of the bike 90degrees sideways and high-siding me over the top tube. It takes years of practice to perform that particular dismount, still holding on to the handle bars whilst running at speeds Usane Bolt would be proud of through the heather trying to bring the bike to a halt.
With everyone else opting for the more conventional approach of staying on there bikes for the journey down the hill we assembled at the bottom and headed off in the direction of Levisham. The next 60 minutes can be pretty much summed up in the following few words......mud, mud more mud, even more mud, mud, mud, push the bike, swear at the mud, push the bike some more, curse Morgan and his smugness for opting to fit some winter Mud tyres the day before as he rode past us all up to our knees in Yorkshires finest brown stuff, mud, mud, mud........and some heavy duty chainsuck.
By the time we reached the bottom of Levisham Bank the bikes were approximately 20lbs heavier , our hearts similar. So you can imagine the joy on Richards face , a man by who his own admission is “not as fit as he used to be”, when he saw the steepness ahead of him. For those that dont know it / havent seen it the road up to Levisham is probably one of the steepness B roads in the country. And to make it even harder for himself Richard opted to ride up it on Waynes bike (whilst Wayne did some running repairs to his Fuel EX 9) – stood up out of the saddle thanks to the rather high seat position adopted by Wayne.
Once up to Levisham,a picture postcard village, very very pretty indeed, we headed back up onto the Moors for our return leg over to the HoH. With the mud well behind and spirits lifted we settled into the ride once again and had a wonderful blast back, avoiding the plethora of walkers that had decided to make the Moors their home for the morning thanks to the glorious weather. We arrived back at the cars smiling. No major mechanicals and no injuries which is how we intend to keep it.
Looking forward to Saturday morning. With no mud – I promise ;-)
Simon
We were joined last Saturday by Team BBB’s resident physio Morgan, who is becoming a bit of a regular on the BBB rides (road & MTB) and a new friend of the shop called Richard. On arrving at the shop at 9am we were greeted by them looking what can only be described as pristine. Indeed Richard, courtesy of a very generous wife and birthday earlier in the week looked like he’d just stepped out of the Madison catalogue. They in turn were greeted by Wayne and I looking like we had just run all the way there through a muddy forest. Which in fairness we pretty much had.
We loaded the bikes up and set off to are starting point for the ride which this week was to be the Hole Of Horcum ride via Levisham. After the previous weeks bog fest in Newton we had faithfully promised to avoid the gloopy stuff. Im not going to lie to you – we failed. Spectacularly. In fact I would go as far as to say that it ws probably the muddiest ride I have ever done. Not aided by an epic ‘fail’ in terms of tyre choice. You would think I would no better by now.....
The ride started so well, lulling us all into a false sense of security as we headed out across the Moors on a near perfect November morning. After 30minutes of some fab riding we reached the top of a steep bank that heads down into the valley that would eventually take us alongside the NYM Railway towards Levisham station. With all the group stood taking in the fantastic view I bit the bullet and fired off down the steep moorland singletrack, aiming for the narrow tarmac road in the distance. How impressive it must have looked to those behind as moments later my rear wheel jammed, shifting the back of the bike 90degrees sideways and high-siding me over the top tube. It takes years of practice to perform that particular dismount, still holding on to the handle bars whilst running at speeds Usane Bolt would be proud of through the heather trying to bring the bike to a halt.
With everyone else opting for the more conventional approach of staying on there bikes for the journey down the hill we assembled at the bottom and headed off in the direction of Levisham. The next 60 minutes can be pretty much summed up in the following few words......mud, mud more mud, even more mud, mud, mud, push the bike, swear at the mud, push the bike some more, curse Morgan and his smugness for opting to fit some winter Mud tyres the day before as he rode past us all up to our knees in Yorkshires finest brown stuff, mud, mud, mud........and some heavy duty chainsuck.
By the time we reached the bottom of Levisham Bank the bikes were approximately 20lbs heavier , our hearts similar. So you can imagine the joy on Richards face , a man by who his own admission is “not as fit as he used to be”, when he saw the steepness ahead of him. For those that dont know it / havent seen it the road up to Levisham is probably one of the steepness B roads in the country. And to make it even harder for himself Richard opted to ride up it on Waynes bike (whilst Wayne did some running repairs to his Fuel EX 9) – stood up out of the saddle thanks to the rather high seat position adopted by Wayne.
Once up to Levisham,a picture postcard village, very very pretty indeed, we headed back up onto the Moors for our return leg over to the HoH. With the mud well behind and spirits lifted we settled into the ride once again and had a wonderful blast back, avoiding the plethora of walkers that had decided to make the Moors their home for the morning thanks to the glorious weather. We arrived back at the cars smiling. No major mechanicals and no injuries which is how we intend to keep it.
Looking forward to Saturday morning. With no mud – I promise ;-)
Simon
Wednesday 17 November 2010
Whinlatter Duathlon Results
Most entered as solos but we also had a relay team and altogether there were 147 people in the solos and 23 teams in the relay. Both the running and mountain biking routes were very hilly but 'what goes up most come down' and everybody had a fabulous time, helped in no small measure by the world's best hot chocolate with marsh-mallows in the cafe afterwards.
Lots of photos of mud, sweat and pain to follow but here is how we all did - there is no hiding when you go racing but that's the challenge!
Run 1 Trans1 Bike Trans2 Run 2 TOTAL Overall Class
Mike 29.05 2.24 55.05 2.09 32.10 2.00.53 14 M
Simon 29.33 1.13 61.07 1.02 34.46 2.07.41 24 M
Paul 29.47 2.00 57.09 1.50 41.17 2.12.03 43 M
Ben 29.27 1.33 65.36 1.43 33.53 2.12.12 46 M
James 32.35 2.01 60.46 1.50 38.30 2.15.42 56 M
Wayne 35.42 2.09 63.33 1.46 38.34 2.21.41 74 M
David 0.59 58.11 0.47 2.27.12 20 MV Relay
Kay 42.17 0.59 0.47 44.58 2.27.12 20 MV Relay
Mandy 33.35 1.56 76.49 1.34 37.19 2.31.13 93 F Vet
Debs 41.24 1.59 75.35 1.14 47.36 2.47.48 121 F Vet
http://www.sportident.co.uk/results/2010/WhinlatterDuathlon/
The numbers hide a lot of individual stories - can you see which girl had to carry her bike, who got lost on the second run and who is the most experienced tri-athlete?
Insight From First Time Duathlete Mike Aitchison
As a newbie to the world of Duathlon I was more than a little bit nervous at the prospect of a couple of runs of 5.5km each, both climbing over 300m!! The 15km biking bit in the middle was going to be familiar territory but the transitions either side were going to prove more than a little bit tricky!!
Registration saw an electronic timing chip tie-rapped to my wrist that I had to "dib" in to a control box at various points on the course, and after a race briefing it was time for the start.
Lining up we pushed our way to the front - a bit cheeky I thought as this was my first ever event - and all too quick we were off. My plan was to pace our more established multi-sporters and see how long I could hold on as I knew we had this run to do again at the end. Feeling good I pushed a bit harder only to find the trail ramp up in gradient to 1 in 3 at one point and there was a lot of walking at that stage but not me - I don't do that it's a run and that's that!! Over taking a few of the walkers the top was in sight and after dibbing at the control point it was back down again. Now running down hill is to prove a skill all on it's own, not too fast not too slow, open the stride and let gravity help you all while trying to stay in control - no easy feat!
Transition is a skill I have to improve if I'm going to continue with this sport. I thought it was fairly quick but looking at the times you'd be forgiven for thinking I was taking a nap! How long can it take to change your shoes, put your lid on, stuff your pockets with a couple of tubes etc grab the bike and run for the line again. Well in my case my newbie status was clear as I took the longest out of all of us at 2.5 mins.
The bike was something I'm not new too. I launched out of transition and stormed the first techie section only to run in to traffic!! With little room for overtaking on the singletrack I found myself standing on rocks waiting for the obvious runners to walk over sections my 13 year old son had rode over the night before when we recky'd the route. Clearing the traffic on the doubletrack I quickly found myself back at the top of the climb dibbing before heading down. If you've ridden Whinlatter before you'll know that the 2nd half of the north red is all down. It has some great flowing singletrack with jumps, switchbacks, berms etc that you can really rail, and I did. All too quick I was on the last section before transition 2 and time to spin my legs before the next run.
Again the transition 2 step, drop the bike, change the shoes, dump the lid & tools and go. Running the wrong way out of transition and then having to go round the right way wasn't the best start to the second run, again novice errors :( Dibbing again on the line it was back up that hill. This time I was in clear air with only a few runners ahead I pushed as hard as I could slowly closing on the guy in front. Half way up the first climb I passed him as he was throwing up in the bushes at the side of the course, Christ, I thought, this must be hard but just dug in and pushed to the top. Cresting the summit for the last time I stretched out my legs and just went with gravity. Always on the edge of control I knew I would pay for this over the next few days but just kept pushing despite my hips telling me otherwise!!
At last there was the line and I knew this would all end. Dibbing for the last time I walked towards the timing table. I thought I might be in the top 20 but was astonished to find I had finished in 14th!!!
Not bad for a newbie I thought!!
Check out the photos and see if you can spot some familiar BBB team mates on here - http://www.sportsunday.co.uk/gallery.html
As with all the stuff that we do you are very welcome to come along with us and have a go. We've all got to start somewhere, there's lots of help and advice but only if you want it and why not be one of those that has a go rather than one that spectates? After it all it's not going to kill you - probably! For any event information, just email shop@bigbearbikes.co.uk or call us 01751 474220 or drop into the shop for a chat. DB
Tuesday 16 November 2010
Proper Preparation Prevents P... Poor Performance
Having only done a Duathlon once before (and that was inadvertently, because the swim leg of a Triathlon was cancelled) I was looking forward to the challenge of the Whinlatter off-road Duathlon last Sunday. Challenging it was, as I'm sure all the Big Bear Racers would agree, as the run was very steep in parts and had to be completed before and after the 15km technical Mtb course. During the Mtb leg an unexpected challenge however was simply down to my poor planning. I punctured at the bottom of the last descent and cursing my luck I whipped the back wheel off, pulled out the punctured inner tube, grabbed the replacement only to find...... yup it had a schraeder valve instead of a presta!
There was 'nowt for it but to re-attach the wheel, throw the whole lot over my shoulder and shuffle off along the trail. I gritted my teeth as twenty or so riders that I had worked quite hard to overtake sailed past me, although several did have the good grace to say "oh bad luck". I was momentarily tempted to jack it in after the bike section but was reminded of a T-shirt that I saw the other day which said "Death B4 DNF". Buoyed by the cheers that greeted me on arrival at Transition, with bike still slung over shoulder, I clocked in, dumped the bike and headed back out on the trail.
So the moral of this story is .....I will add a 10 second check on my inner tubes from now on. As the title says Proper Planning Prevents P... Poor Performance.
http://www.highterrainevents.co.uk/3.html
There was 'nowt for it but to re-attach the wheel, throw the whole lot over my shoulder and shuffle off along the trail. I gritted my teeth as twenty or so riders that I had worked quite hard to overtake sailed past me, although several did have the good grace to say "oh bad luck". I was momentarily tempted to jack it in after the bike section but was reminded of a T-shirt that I saw the other day which said "Death B4 DNF". Buoyed by the cheers that greeted me on arrival at Transition, with bike still slung over shoulder, I clocked in, dumped the bike and headed back out on the trail.
So the moral of this story is .....I will add a 10 second check on my inner tubes from now on. As the title says Proper Planning Prevents P... Poor Performance.
http://www.highterrainevents.co.uk/3.html
Saturday 13 November 2010
Wheat Dodger
I have read a few articles recently about wheat intolerance. I had always been a bit dismissive of this so called intolerance as it seemed to apply predominantly to middle class females from the South East! Recently though my daughter has been suffering from prolonged bouts of hiccups, after meals in particular. Tried various combinations of food to try and help her but nothing worked. Then, by chance, I was listening to the radio and heard about wheat being the cause of hiccups in some people. So we stopped hear eating wheat in all its various forms and she stopped getting hiccups straight away!
I also tried it and within a few days my stomach flattened out and I felt a bit quicker on the bike. Bargain!
I'm a greedy git mostly but not eating bread has forced me go for more healthy meals instead of guzzling cheese sandwiches when I'm hungry and pushed for time / too lazy to make something.
Combine no-wheat and also reduced dairy and this could be an easy way to encourage you to eat more healthily.
In Cycling weekly this week there is an article on this which prompted this blog. It was interesting to note that some pro teams do not allow bread on the table at meal times; there are many more sources of carbs that are more digestible and more nutritious.
Did you know white bread has ZERO nutritional value. The big bread manufacturers have to add vitamins and minerals to give it a trace of goodness.
As if to test my resolve, the lady of the house has been baking bread this morning and there is a big chunk of cheese in the fridge gently cooing at me.
I also tried it and within a few days my stomach flattened out and I felt a bit quicker on the bike. Bargain!
I'm a greedy git mostly but not eating bread has forced me go for more healthy meals instead of guzzling cheese sandwiches when I'm hungry and pushed for time / too lazy to make something.
Combine no-wheat and also reduced dairy and this could be an easy way to encourage you to eat more healthily.
In Cycling weekly this week there is an article on this which prompted this blog. It was interesting to note that some pro teams do not allow bread on the table at meal times; there are many more sources of carbs that are more digestible and more nutritious.
Did you know white bread has ZERO nutritional value. The big bread manufacturers have to add vitamins and minerals to give it a trace of goodness.
As if to test my resolve, the lady of the house has been baking bread this morning and there is a big chunk of cheese in the fridge gently cooing at me.
Tuesday 9 November 2010
Open5 Adventure Race Sun 7th Nov. Forest of Boland
So the first open 5 of the season kicked of in the Forest of Boland, just south of the Yorkshire dales it was a 2 hour drive for Simon & me to meet up with Deb, Ben & Mandy.
at only 3C it was a chilly start but the sun was shinning.
Maps were given out at registration which showed the main Mountain biking over and into Gisburn forest, all of us opting for the MTB stage first then run 2nd.
You can start any time between 9.30 & 10.30 and then you have 5 hours to plan your route and get back with at least 1 checkpoint been hit on both the run stage & bike stage.
The Big bear shirts were flying over the course with a lot of comments from the race organisers & race photographers.
Results all came in good:
Mandy came a brilliant 2nd 445 points in Female solo
Simon & Deb 3rd 375 points in Mixed Pairs
Wayne & Ben 8th 457 points in Male Pairs
The nest open5 is on the 5th Dec and at our home ground of the North York Moors, start / registration etc will be at Sutton Bank.
If you want to know more about Adventure Racing give me a shout for a chat or visit http://www.openadventure.com/
See you soon
Wayne
at only 3C it was a chilly start but the sun was shinning.
Maps were given out at registration which showed the main Mountain biking over and into Gisburn forest, all of us opting for the MTB stage first then run 2nd.
You can start any time between 9.30 & 10.30 and then you have 5 hours to plan your route and get back with at least 1 checkpoint been hit on both the run stage & bike stage.
The Big bear shirts were flying over the course with a lot of comments from the race organisers & race photographers.
Results all came in good:
Mandy came a brilliant 2nd 445 points in Female solo
Simon & Deb 3rd 375 points in Mixed Pairs
Wayne & Ben 8th 457 points in Male Pairs
The nest open5 is on the 5th Dec and at our home ground of the North York Moors, start / registration etc will be at Sutton Bank.
If you want to know more about Adventure Racing give me a shout for a chat or visit http://www.openadventure.com/
See you soon
Wayne
Monday 8 November 2010
Benjamin Franklin famously once said that “nothing in the world is certain but death and taxes”. Wise words indeed, yet had he ever ridden a mountain bike in November out of Newton in Rawcliffe I’m sure he would have added “mud and hills” to his list. The inaugural Big Bear Bikes Saturday morning ride started with only a minor hiccup – namely me turning up 15 minutes late thanks to some parking “challenges” which had to be resolved by the boys in blue. Note to the man in the Peugeot 206 - never cross a bear when he is in a hurry to ride his bike! Especially when the sun is shining.
The ride started on time thanks to Dave and Wayne getting everyone rolling whilst Mike hung back to wait for me. We had been joined on the ride by Hannah, an experienced climber with York Mountaineering Club and Rob, an 11year veteran of BMX’ing who was now branching out into mountain biking as a way to get fitter and take advantage of the Moors on his doorstep. I arrived in Newton like a man possessed and within 3 minutes had the bike built, thrown on the helmet and shoes and away we went on our two man chain gang to catch everyone else up.
Now I should point out at this stage that I am not a navigator. Satellite Navigation was invented for people like me, so as well as leading the ride I was also having an “on the job” lesson from Wayne on map reading. More on that later though. Mike and I caught up with the lead group after about 15 minutes and en masse we pushed on. Now forgive me if I sound vague about where we went. There are two reasons for this – firstly as I said I don’t read maps so would struggle to say, however were I able to (and I will be able to very soon!) I wouldn’t tell you all because these rides we will be doing on Saturdays are secret and special to us. For the next 30mins we made our way downhill through spectacularly eerie woods , technical in places but not too technical that those who needed to push, couldn’t, and fast and flowy in other parts guaranteed to have us all smiling (cue Hannah “I want to do that again!”).
So back briefly to the map reading lesson. It had been agreed that on exiting the woods that I would endeavour to find our location on the map, which was duly handed to me by Wayne. After several moments of pondering I semi confidently pointed to a spot on the map saying “well I’m pretty sure we should be about here? But if that were right then there should be a big road on our left hand side, and there isn’t?” It took a couple of seconds, in between fits laughter for Wayne to point out that “the road” I was referring to was actually drawn on the map in felt tip pen and was the route we were following. Like I said – I am not a navigator.
The rest of the ride went very well, climby in places, gloopy in others, and some more fast downhill sections where you could really let the bike roll. In all we covered about 13 miles, climbed 1700ft and were out for 2hrs 15min. Not a bad ride at all and a big thanks to Hannah and Rob who finished tired but with big smiles on their faces. Having parked up earlier outside a Tea Room it would have been rude not to rest our weary legs and partake in some tea and cakes (crumpets and scones actually) and what a revelation – in a world where everyone seems content on charging the earth for things there is a little tea room in the beautiful village of Newton on Rawcliffe that sees fit to charge two whole English pounds for a pot of tea and two crumpets. Bargain!
See you all next week for a Hole of Horcum special!
Simon.
The ride started on time thanks to Dave and Wayne getting everyone rolling whilst Mike hung back to wait for me. We had been joined on the ride by Hannah, an experienced climber with York Mountaineering Club and Rob, an 11year veteran of BMX’ing who was now branching out into mountain biking as a way to get fitter and take advantage of the Moors on his doorstep. I arrived in Newton like a man possessed and within 3 minutes had the bike built, thrown on the helmet and shoes and away we went on our two man chain gang to catch everyone else up.
Now I should point out at this stage that I am not a navigator. Satellite Navigation was invented for people like me, so as well as leading the ride I was also having an “on the job” lesson from Wayne on map reading. More on that later though. Mike and I caught up with the lead group after about 15 minutes and en masse we pushed on. Now forgive me if I sound vague about where we went. There are two reasons for this – firstly as I said I don’t read maps so would struggle to say, however were I able to (and I will be able to very soon!) I wouldn’t tell you all because these rides we will be doing on Saturdays are secret and special to us. For the next 30mins we made our way downhill through spectacularly eerie woods , technical in places but not too technical that those who needed to push, couldn’t, and fast and flowy in other parts guaranteed to have us all smiling (cue Hannah “I want to do that again!”).
So back briefly to the map reading lesson. It had been agreed that on exiting the woods that I would endeavour to find our location on the map, which was duly handed to me by Wayne. After several moments of pondering I semi confidently pointed to a spot on the map saying “well I’m pretty sure we should be about here? But if that were right then there should be a big road on our left hand side, and there isn’t?” It took a couple of seconds, in between fits laughter for Wayne to point out that “the road” I was referring to was actually drawn on the map in felt tip pen and was the route we were following. Like I said – I am not a navigator.
The rest of the ride went very well, climby in places, gloopy in others, and some more fast downhill sections where you could really let the bike roll. In all we covered about 13 miles, climbed 1700ft and were out for 2hrs 15min. Not a bad ride at all and a big thanks to Hannah and Rob who finished tired but with big smiles on their faces. Having parked up earlier outside a Tea Room it would have been rude not to rest our weary legs and partake in some tea and cakes (crumpets and scones actually) and what a revelation – in a world where everyone seems content on charging the earth for things there is a little tea room in the beautiful village of Newton on Rawcliffe that sees fit to charge two whole English pounds for a pot of tea and two crumpets. Bargain!
See you all next week for a Hole of Horcum special!
Simon.
Friday 5 November 2010
Contact!
Contact points on the bike that is. I have just had BBB fit some double gel tape onto my road bike as the original tape smelled really, really bad due to turbo training on it and sweating onto it for months. I have now learned my lesson and given up on the hugo-boss deodorant and gone for the most hardcore Sure I can find plus I wear a pair of gloves and then wash them after each session. I can only apologise to Mark and James for putting them through the process of unravelling the old tape! Anyway, the double gel is an unexpected surprise upgrade; as well as smelling fresh it is so comfy and springy and actually absorbs some of the road vibration. Recommended. I also had a little fiddle with the saddle and bar / hoods angle and that also can make a big difference to how the bike feels. ..It’s a bit nerdy but I got a spirit level and dropped the saddle very slightly so it tips down towards the bars; not so much that you slip forward but enough so it reduces pressure in the delicate area… after all there is nothing worse than numb bits after an hours riding. Turbo training exacerbates an uncomfortable aspect of your bike set up so it’s a good time to fiddle to get those last little angles changed and see if it makes it more or less comfortable.
Wednesday 3 November 2010
Will's a Down-Hill Winner!
Will Hugill's (our Team BBB rider) has had a fantastic first year in Down-Hill Racing. Here's his 'end of season' report. Very well done Will and good luck in the Nationals in 2011. D.
Northern Down-Hill - Round 6-Regional Champs, Kielder: http://www.northerndownhill.co.uk/Northern_Downhill/Home.html
This was the last race in the series and double points were up for grabs!
The track had been made using part of the existing ‘Dead Water’ black run at Kielder. Wet conditions on Saturday meant it was no breeze but it’s a good track littered with jumps, drops, and rock gardens.
The track stayed wet on Sunday and a parting with my bike left me with my thumb in a bandage and a sore back. Still I had two good runs and was placed third securing my win for the season overall. Another fantastic weekend and the guys from Big Bear Bikes even came up to cheer me on!
My Round-up for the year:
This year’s season has been amazing, and the highlight has to be winning the Northern Downhill series for my category. Next year I move up into Youth and I hope to ride the British Downhill Series as well as Northern Downhill. With Big Bear Bikes behind me once again it’s going to be a great year!
Northern Down-Hill - Round 6-Regional Champs, Kielder: http://www.northerndownhill.co.uk/Northern_Downhill/Home.html
This was the last race in the series and double points were up for grabs!
The track had been made using part of the existing ‘Dead Water’ black run at Kielder. Wet conditions on Saturday meant it was no breeze but it’s a good track littered with jumps, drops, and rock gardens.
The track stayed wet on Sunday and a parting with my bike left me with my thumb in a bandage and a sore back. Still I had two good runs and was placed third securing my win for the season overall. Another fantastic weekend and the guys from Big Bear Bikes even came up to cheer me on!
My Round-up for the year:
This year’s season has been amazing, and the highlight has to be winning the Northern Downhill series for my category. Next year I move up into Youth and I hope to ride the British Downhill Series as well as Northern Downhill. With Big Bear Bikes behind me once again it’s going to be a great year!
Sunday morning road ride
Just thinking about a regular road ride from Pickering and the fact that Sunday morning rides are usually a firm favourite with lots of riders… How about a regular monthly Sunday morning meeting at the shop for a 9.00am start? Moors focussed ride of 3-5 hours with a café stop of 20-30mins. LOADS of potential for good routes and good cafes. Excellent Sportive training for those interested in doing some winter miles. Some big climbs to do with at least one serious climb. Not for the faint hearted but not a race either. If you have not tried or succeeded in riding for 4 hours in the cold at 15mph average then this may be a step too far.. but.. it does not take long to build up your endurance so if you can ride for 3 hours then getting to 4 is not a big challenge! Let BBB know if you would be interested.
Tuesday 2 November 2010
Cycle To Work - how to 'help' your employer...
The Cycle to Work scheme is a government initiative to encourage cycling. Employers that sign up usually let employees choose the bicycle and equipment up to a value of £1,000. This cost is met by deductions from an employee’s salary, before taxation, over a year, cutting the bike’s cost and spreading it over time. The scheme is still running and the government has signalled it will continue.
However, your employer has to decide to participate. This is straightforward and much of it can be done online at tinyurl.com/yeh988p. If yours is reluctant, you could canvass colleagues to gauge the level of interest and, if there is enthusiasm, try using that information to persuade your employer to join in.
For more help and for examples of how much you can save on the bike, clothes and accessories please contact us at the shop.
However, your employer has to decide to participate. This is straightforward and much of it can be done online at tinyurl.com/yeh988p. If yours is reluctant, you could canvass colleagues to gauge the level of interest and, if there is enthusiasm, try using that information to persuade your employer to join in.
For more help and for examples of how much you can save on the bike, clothes and accessories please contact us at the shop.
2011 Etape du Tour
What have they done - in 2011 its all change - we picked this up from the Sunday Times 'Cycle Guy' blog by Richard Caseby...
Round about this time of the year Joe Cyclist is jumping around as though he’s got ants in his Lycra pants. And why? Well, the route of the Etape du Tour is announced and the scramble for places on the premier sportive of the year begins. Ready on your buzzers . . . and I hope you’ve got a stack of cash.
Only this year there are two étapes, each for around 10,000 riders. The first follows the route of the 2011 Tour de France, stage 19, and runs 68 miles from Modane to Alpe d’Huez on July 11, ascending Col Télégraphe (5,138ft), Galibier (8,678ft) and finishing after the 21 hairpins of Alpe d’Huez (6,102ft).
The second, on July 17, is a flatter (but still bumpy) route between Issoire and St-Flour in the Massif Central, ending after 129 miles.
For the first time, British riders will be able to buy entry-only online from November 16 at www.letapedutour.com. Previously, you’ve had to buy an entire holiday through a tour organiser such as sportstoursinternational.co.uk.
The first 3,000 entries will be sold for €75 (£66), the next 3,000 for €95, and if you’re still left empty-handed you can go through a tour group. An entry-only from a UK company will then cost about £200 — but don’t blame the tour companies. Amazingly, that’s what ASO, the French organiser, is charging them.
Can the golden cyclist lay any more eggs? Certainly, it seems.
I hear that Club Med is charging tour groups more than ¤500 for a room after the Alpe d’Huez finish. Sure, it has to open the ski hotel out of season, but even so. Nul points, Club Med. Anyway, I doubt they’ll get many takers since the étape route is so short most will have finished by 3pm and can book a hotel off the mountain for a fifth of the price.
Oddly, the 2011 mountain route is putting plenty of people off, not because it’s hard but because it looks much easier than in previous years. The last time the étape ended on Alpe d’Huez it took in the cols of Izoard and Lautaret and was 51 miles longer. A tough, hot bugger, as I remember it, and really quite unpleasant. And if you’re paying all that money you want to suffer properly, don’t you?
The other drawback is that the big mountain-top crowds won’t be there to shout and hurl water over you. They bag their pitches for the real Tour, which passes through a couple of days later, and cheer you as though you’re the real thing. Believe me, it really does help when you’re grinding out the last few hundred metres. This year the Tour comes 11 days later.
My guess is that many étape veterans will try for the Marmotte ride on July 2 instead, which takes in Glandon (6,312ft), Télégraphe and Alpe d’Huez over 108 miles. The 100-strong team of amateur riders from Sky who rode the étape last year may look to this one or even a gran fondo in Italy.
Etapes are getting busy — a few previous ascents have been so choked that people have had to dismount. You can see why ASO wants to clone the golden goose. Sportives make big money and there is no sign of their turbocharged popularity waning. A second, flatter route encourages new riders into the fold and is an alternative for the 30% of entrants who don’t make the cut on a mountain stage.
There’s more to come. I hear of outline plans for a championship-style challenge in which the top 10 riders of each étape category finish in a race on the Champs-Elysées. But not next year. Maybe 2012
Round about this time of the year Joe Cyclist is jumping around as though he’s got ants in his Lycra pants. And why? Well, the route of the Etape du Tour is announced and the scramble for places on the premier sportive of the year begins. Ready on your buzzers . . . and I hope you’ve got a stack of cash.
Only this year there are two étapes, each for around 10,000 riders. The first follows the route of the 2011 Tour de France, stage 19, and runs 68 miles from Modane to Alpe d’Huez on July 11, ascending Col Télégraphe (5,138ft), Galibier (8,678ft) and finishing after the 21 hairpins of Alpe d’Huez (6,102ft).
The second, on July 17, is a flatter (but still bumpy) route between Issoire and St-Flour in the Massif Central, ending after 129 miles.
For the first time, British riders will be able to buy entry-only online from November 16 at www.letapedutour.com. Previously, you’ve had to buy an entire holiday through a tour organiser such as sportstoursinternational.co.uk.
The first 3,000 entries will be sold for €75 (£66), the next 3,000 for €95, and if you’re still left empty-handed you can go through a tour group. An entry-only from a UK company will then cost about £200 — but don’t blame the tour companies. Amazingly, that’s what ASO, the French organiser, is charging them.
Can the golden cyclist lay any more eggs? Certainly, it seems.
I hear that Club Med is charging tour groups more than ¤500 for a room after the Alpe d’Huez finish. Sure, it has to open the ski hotel out of season, but even so. Nul points, Club Med. Anyway, I doubt they’ll get many takers since the étape route is so short most will have finished by 3pm and can book a hotel off the mountain for a fifth of the price.
Oddly, the 2011 mountain route is putting plenty of people off, not because it’s hard but because it looks much easier than in previous years. The last time the étape ended on Alpe d’Huez it took in the cols of Izoard and Lautaret and was 51 miles longer. A tough, hot bugger, as I remember it, and really quite unpleasant. And if you’re paying all that money you want to suffer properly, don’t you?
The other drawback is that the big mountain-top crowds won’t be there to shout and hurl water over you. They bag their pitches for the real Tour, which passes through a couple of days later, and cheer you as though you’re the real thing. Believe me, it really does help when you’re grinding out the last few hundred metres. This year the Tour comes 11 days later.
My guess is that many étape veterans will try for the Marmotte ride on July 2 instead, which takes in Glandon (6,312ft), Télégraphe and Alpe d’Huez over 108 miles. The 100-strong team of amateur riders from Sky who rode the étape last year may look to this one or even a gran fondo in Italy.
Etapes are getting busy — a few previous ascents have been so choked that people have had to dismount. You can see why ASO wants to clone the golden goose. Sportives make big money and there is no sign of their turbocharged popularity waning. A second, flatter route encourages new riders into the fold and is an alternative for the 30% of entrants who don’t make the cut on a mountain stage.
There’s more to come. I hear of outline plans for a championship-style challenge in which the top 10 riders of each étape category finish in a race on the Champs-Elysées. But not next year. Maybe 2012
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