Augusts been and gone

Well my stats for August show I'm starting to get back into the cycling to work, not really any big runs or anything this month just in and out safely, can't say my fitness has improved much but that will be my goal for September although I do like trying to improve some of the Strava segemnt times..
August looked like this according to Stava.

• August
• 153.2mi
• 11hr 29m
• 4,773ft

• July
• 107.5mi
• 10hr 49m
• 3,322ft

I'm off on holiday for the first week in september so I don't use the bike the week before in case I crash and I'll not be doing much if anything whilst on holiday but I'll be straight back into it on my return and have set myself a 200mile goal for the remaining 3 weeks. NO EXCUSES

Saturday Service

On a slow tired ride home from work I got soaked by heavy rain and about a 100 meters from home got a puncture. The gears are clicking a bit and the brakes need adjusting so I think Saturday will be spent giving the Raleigh Team Sprint a bit of a service. The Muddy Fox Seeker Mega needs looked at too to see if I can salvage it or if its really for the the scrap heap.I also need the brakes sorted on the Genesis Core 10 but that will need professional help and can wait till I come back from my holidays.
With about 10 rides on the Raleigh so far I really am impressed by it as my first road bike I think I've made a good choice.

Strava slave

Strava is addictive you know, As someone who usually rides on thier own Its the only thing that makes me push myself. I've already improved my cycle to work time by around 10% and my time up Bradshaws Brae today was 3,30 mins faster than my first recorded one.

Rank	Name	Date	Speed	HR	Power	VAM	Time
1	The CYCLE2WORKER	Aug 10, 2012	8.4mi/h	-	153W	497	16:33
2	The CYCLE2WORKER	Jul 29, 2012	7.0mi/h	-	123W	412	19:57

 Its not much to be proud of but its a good start and encouraging. I don't mind being one of the last people listed for any segment I try, I know I'm out of shape and over the hill.but its still embarrasing when some one powers past you up a hill not even out of breath like today.

I need to learn to push or hurt myself without falling off :- )

A Big Ride- For me anyway

I must have been getting really grumpy or hard to live with whilst not cycling as my families attempts to rehabilitate me continue.
My son invited me out for a "Club Ride" on Sunday saying it was a mixed group and he would stick with me if I couldn't keep up.It turned out it was a mixed group some really good cyclists and me !!!
I was OK until the first hill which apparently doesn't slow down the club riders. Anyway I stuck at it managed to cut  out the Ballygowan bit just in time to meet up with the group at Daft Eddies and had lovely tea and scones.

 
 Up Bradshaws doing my best Tommy Voeckler impression.



I eventually clocked up 45 miles including a two or three category 4 climbs (According to Strava).



 I was a bit disappointed in my average speed but in total I had climbed over 1800ft   so not bad for my first Big day out..

Getting into the swing of things SLOWLY

After a couple of more runs out on the costal path with my wife the Muddy Fox is starting to give up the ghost. Really since the accident it has needed scrapped with only sentament making me hold on to it. Its uneconomical to repair but i know that won't stop me from fixing it eventually.

In the mean time I have taken the Raleigh Tem Sprint ( Miranda) out for a 17 miler round Bradshaws Brae setting some of the slowest times on Strava :-) but hey I made it back safely and its all to aim for Confidence in the bike, Fitness and then speed  eventually.

Ive taken it to work 3 times now as well very gingerly it must be said the first time I maybe could have walked it faster.

I wouldn't say it was fun yet as I'm worrying like Woody Allen but at least I've taken the bull by the horns

3 Rides

On the 1/7/12 at my wife's suggestion we went out on our bikes for the first time together. Its been 5 months since my accident with only my aborted ride on Miranda in between.
I'm half way through my second set of Physio which has really helped my back and neck but the longest lasting effect of the accident has been to my head.( mentally ).
I keep thinking "What if i'd been left in a wheel chair or brain damaged.
So far we stayed well away from traffic using only country lanes and coastal path. We covered 7.5 miles first time out with another 7 and a 5 mid week. I spend most of my time worried about my "Very special lady friend" which keeps my mind from worrying about what I'm doing. although with an average speed of around 5mph I'm more in danger of losing my balance than anything !!!
Any way so far so good. using the Mudy fox at the moment , Although its still needs abit of work after the accident and using the team liquigas helmet which just looks stupid when dressed casually. I'll be getting a Bell helmet soon if I'm going to take to the cycling again. Twice now I've had Biggish accidents on the bike and both times the helmet has taken a battering but done its job so Iin Bell I trust I Trust.

6 Miles

6 miles is all I managed, I got off the bike and felt dizzy and my head was sore even before I got on the bike unbelivible.
The reason I started this blog was so I could look back see how far I had come in my training and endurance
I saw the 250 miles I did in January as a good marker, Confirmation of the work I'd put in and weight I had lost on the old Muddy Fox before graduating to to Miranda a good but lets face it beginners road bike.
Now after my accident and todays ride I can't believe I was doing that much cycling. I see guys on my way to work and it seems alien to me, I am truly gutted at todays performance.
I think I'm an ex cyclist and I don't know how to find my way back in.

The time is now

Well its tomorrow actually my first ride in nearly six weeks, I havent done any excercise in that time except ones given to me by my physio, My belly is huge as I've developed a liking for Cream buns.
I'm looking forward to it but strangely nervous about it all the traffic using the road bike etc, hope all goes well.
3 Physio sessions so far my backs losening up abit but I wonder how ig will go

Its all killing me.

Tried going back to work last week rather foolishly
1st day went OK except when I got home I was unexpectedly knackered just went to bed after tea.
2nd day lasted to about 2pm began to feel sick by 4pm I was in the toilets vomiting, Drove home with a carrier bag between my legs just in case.
Its as well I don't have to do physical labour as sitting behind a desk was killing me.
lower back is killing me especially a you go to get up and move every thing.
Its been nearly two weeks since the accident and since I've been on a bike that's killing me also
I'm putting on weight already that's killing my morale
I'm going for physio on Thursday and that will FINISH ME OFF.

Total Wipeout- It all happend so quick as they say

Well lucky to be typing this really, A BIG thank you to all at Bell for their skull saving  helmets I tested mine to the max today and left it looking like boiled egg that had been dropped on the floor.Thankfully my head which was inside stayed intact but feels like its been hit by a bus, as does my right ankle, shin, Achilles,Buttock, neck   , lower back etc (Lucky it was only a people carrier I suppose)
Thank you also to the N.Ireland Ambulance Service,Police and A&E staff at the RVH, It took a couple of hours but the reality of the situation is that everyone done their best and the time spent lying on a trolley was what I needed to calm down gather my thoughts let the adrenalin subsided and  feel where REALLY HURTS.
I imagine I'll only feel worse over the next few days when the muscle pain kicks in.
The Doc was very through and I left feeling I'd been well checked over my main concern was my head but my leg grew increasingly sore to the point I thought I might have a hair line fracture and was relieved when the X-ray showed it was all clear.
I still cant figure out how I was hit on the right hand side but managed to land on my Head on the Right and then my arse on the RHS the force must have turned the handle bars and thrown me over them.

I guess that I'll be me for a February, just as I was feeling a big smug for managing 250 miles in January.
I'm off on holiday in 2.5 weeks and cant see me risking a jaunt out. if I was to crash and miss out my wife might kill me.

Mega miles NOT!!!

I was totalling my miles up in my head on the way home today and crossing everything I had that I didn't get a puncture, like yesterday.
I bizarrely blew the end off my pump when inflating the new tube yesterday and forgot to slip another one in my  bag despite keeping a spare at work as well as at home, tube that is not pump.
I reckon despite not riding to work every day overall I'm averaging nearly 10 miles a day . I doubt I'll be able to keep it up but but I'd be delighted to hit 300miles for the month.
I think that would be a personal record especially for a winter month , I'll have to speed up however as I was blown off by 2 other cycle to workers pretty easily today.

New helmet

Only managed 20 mile in the saddle this week and none of it on Miranda, She's gathering dust in the garage until the weather changes or I buy some mudguards which was pretty much my plan anyway.
In the meantime the ever durable Muddy Fox Seeker Mega work horse soilders on.

On the plus side I did get myself a new road helmet in TK Maxx today bought it because it was very good quality but cheap. Usually I wear and swear by BELL Helmets but at £17 which is a full £70 off its 2008 selling price this was too good to turn down.
I had no choice in colour but got the traditional Liquigas green/blue colour way

 Here is what Wiggle has to say about it

Top Features of the Briko Arrow Helmet 07

The exact helmet that Liquigas rider Danilo Di Luca wore on his way to victory in this years 2007 Giro d'Italia. Briko's most aggressive helmet with superior features.

• Extemely aerodynamic design
• Carbon cage for ultimate lightness
• In moulding structure
• Ergonomic and washable interior
• Micrometric adjustable retention system
• The product is certified following European Bike Helmet standards
• Padding with different thickness to perfectly adjust to various head's shapes
• Incorporating Retention System 1: The roll-off pre-vention "Microblock System", which holds the helmet firmly on the head even during a fall, while eliminating dangerous helmet rotations that might leave vital parts of the head uncovered. To offer full protection, all the materials are subjected to rigorous tightness and extreme stress trials. The dimensional capacity of each helmet is tested to ensure that minimum points of coverage and an optimum angle of visibility are guaranteed. The In-Moulding tech is the process in fusing a PC shell to an internal EPS shell. By fusing the 2 shells, this kind of helmet is reinforced in crucial areas around vents, resulting in light, cool and tough helmets.

No balancing act

Just another 10 mile slog to Belfast today lite mizzle, managed to fall on to the wing of a car at traffic lights couldn't get my foot out of the cleat in time.Definitely would have failed my cycling proficiency test- !!!. Trying to think and balance was just too much for me

Fitted some SPD's

Fitted the Raleigh with shimano M520 spd pedals from my Genesis MTB today and took the Team sprint a quick spin round the block to check them out. they seem fine.
I intend to fit proper road pedals in time but they are a great pedal and will do for now plus I'm sure they are half the weight of the rat traps that where on it.

What's happening !!!

7th January 2012 What's happening !!! No wind No rain what can I blame my slow times on now.
Just a 10 mile run home in the dark

57 miles for the week I need to get a move on but bad weather and work commitments get in the way excuses excuses.

Ten Windy Miles

5th January 2012 Just managed ten miles today but you could maybe add 5 more to that as I seem to have been pedalling into the wind and not moving.. It made the rain seen insignificant. Must shout "Rule 5" at myself in an Alan Partridge style when I look in the mirror tomorrow morning

I feel like Jacque Cousteau

4th January 2012 - Back on the old faithful Muddy Fox for my commute, a 20 mile round trip it was warmer than it looked this morning and I had to stop to take my hat off but it was the life aquatic on the way home and I got SOAKED to the skin, the gears where playing up a bit too.
The Muddy fox could really do with a service if I'm honest.
Miranda will have to stay in until the weather gets better or I get her some crud catchers, you couldn't do with out mudguards till about June in this country. I borrowed some bike tools and will fit the SPDs off my Genesis as a tempory measure until I decide what I'm doing about pedals. I sort of need new shoes anyway as my current MTB ones are nearly 3 years old so I might go totally roadie with LOOK style pedals and shoes to match or just buy new  Shimano M520's in white and continue to use mountain bike shoes. Availible funds will dictate rather than anything else, it was only with a healthy birthday gift from my wife that i could afford the Raliegh Team sprint in the first place even at £150 times are hard as they say.

Miranda's first ride

2nd January 2012 I'm off for my first ride on a road bike in 33years. This is also my first ride on an aluminium bike ever as all my other bikes are steel of one sort or another and my first go with shimano's brake lever integrated gear shifting..
After a tentative start trying to get my feet in to the strap and cage pedals. I head for the sea, well sea level any way and begin what turned out to be a 5 mile climb up in to the local hills. Sounds worse than it was as this only took me to around 600ft but still it got the lungs going and it was over 3 weeks since I'd last been on a bike.

First impressions of the bike are good its stable even with what to me seem like treacherously thin tyres, the over sized handle bars are a nice width and give a feel of quality, the ride of the aluminium frame does not seem to be too harsh and the V section wheels seem strong enough.
I test the brakes on the way down and leave black rings around what had previously been virgin white rims. There's not much feel to the brakes to start with and my concerns about the painted braking surface move to the forefront of my mind as it starts to rain when I come down the sweeping S- Bends of the old Newtownards TT circuit. there seems to be a direct correlation between the amount of rubber building up on the rims and the ability to stop or slow down. This is probably just the brake pads bedding in but I don't think I'll be washing the rubber off the braking surface when I clean the bike.
I certainly wasn't flying down the hill but did push on a bit it top gear as my confidence grew in the 28mm tyres to get round the bends in the wet and deal with the uneven road surface, I even used the drop bars more to try out the position than out of any great necessity. I was surprised by the lack of any great sensation of speed compared to using a mountain bike where its all tyre noise and wind in the face but may be I was more cautious than I thought.
In total I covered 17 miles in relative comfort on the first run out. I deliberately  choose a hilly route over a longer flat one as I wanted to get an impression of the bike rather than my ability to cover big miles.
Over all I'm pleasantly surprised the riding position is comfortable with lots of options where to place your hands compared to an MTB, The saddles not too bad either on first acquaintance but this is always a matter of personal preference and every thing worked as it should.
The gearing which I thought at first, on the climb, was a bit notchy turned out to be fine. I suppose the gears are wider spaced than I'm used to but the combi levers are fantastic on both the up and down shift. Clean quick changing with just a flick of the fingers of push of the thumb and a credit to the staff at Decathlon who asked for an hour to check the bike over / set it up before I took it home.
The first run out then was a good work out for me with all the hills and a chance to get used to the ways of road cycling and being close to faster moving traffic again some motorist don't give you much room.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=5238545 

What I got for my money

I had looked at the Raleigh Team Sprint before during my November pondering about whether to buy cash or buy on the cycle to work scheme the respective budgets being Under £500 or around £1000.
I had ruled it out and decided that the best I could do under £500 was a Decathalon B'Twin Triban 5
 with its nice carbon forks and carbon rear seat stays.

This bike got good reviews and at the time seemed to me the one to go for. On the other hand I really liked/wanted a Moda Rubato a beautifully finished bike built around a very light set of wheels the whole thing weighing in at only 8.59kg

In reality it was one of the few £1000 bikes that came in well under the magic 10kg mark.
So when initially looking at the Raleigh what had impressed me was the styling, quality of finish and price which at that time it was retailing at around £300 and still is in most shops.
The rrp is a hopeful £400 but only the big names seem to stick to the rrp. Raleigh obviously was once a big name and is trying to make a come back under new ownership with a race team and some expensive bikes in thier line up however what put me off the Team Sprint was the 12kg weight and the white wheels which even in the shop had big black rubber marks where the brakes make contact with the test bikes wheels.One of the few mentions I could find of the bike on line expressed concern about the braking ability of the bike in the wet with the contact area for the brakes painted.Any way here is the spec and the sales blurb courtesy of Evans Cycles

The Raleigh Team Sprint 2011 Road Bike brings back a great Raleigh name, the ideal introduction to riding with STI gears. With it's stunning look you will be the envy of your friends. This Bike runs on 28mm tyres and with mountings to allow fitting of carrier and mudguards this makes it suitable for anything from commuting to light touring.

Frame:

AL6061 Aluminium Race Style

Fork:

Steel Unicrown Racing Fork

Front Derailleur:

Shimano 2300

Rear Derailleur:

Shimano 2300

Number of Gears:

16

Shifters:

Shimano 2300

Chainset:

Miranda

Chainrings:

50/34 tooth

Cassette:

12/25 tooth

Pedals:

Toe Straps

Front Brake:

Alloy Calliper

Rear Brake:

Alloy Calliper

Brake Levers:

Alloy

Handlebars:

Alloy Drop Bar

Stem:

Alloy Ahead Stem

Rims:

Deep Section Alloy Rims

Front Hub:

Quick Release Front Hub

Rear Hub:

Quick Release

Front Tyre:

28mm

Rear Tyre:

28mm

Saddle:

Raleigh Road Saddle

Weight:

Approx. 12kg

I wasn't looking to be "The envy of my friends" but the basic Shimano group set and mostly no name components are standard at this price point it  takes you to spend £500 or so to get into Shimano Sora and even then its not the full group set. The 28mm tyres showed some thoughts towards comfort and the ability to fit mudguards might be a benefit in the future should I take to road cycling and it becomes my daily commuter.I knew if I liked the bike and used it regularly I would be changing the components as a matter of course in the years to come as wear, tear and the ravages of the British roads took its toll.

My current daily commuter the Muddy Fox  is like Triggers brush off only fools and horses,  the only parts that remain of the original bike are the frame, stem, handle bars and cranks with most of the other parts having been replaced 3 times. 

There is however no getting away form the12kg weight of the Raleigh although I did smile to myself when I dismantled it to put it in the car, the frame its self is quite light with alot of the weight  being in the wheels. This shows good potential for future upgrade as I had found out while looking at the Moda Rubato you can get some very light wheels.All I need now is for Chain Reaction to flood again so they can have another mega sale.

Now it was time for my first ride on Miranda.......... That's the name I've given the bike, after one of the nicest brand named components on the bike, the Miranda Crank Set not the clumsy but very funny cyclist and comedienne Miranda hart.

New Year and a New Beginning

Hey what do you know I'm a road cyclist now !!!!!!!!!.
After months of pondering and looking at new and second hand bikes I finally made a purchase in Decathalon of all places. I'm a big fan of the cycle to work scheme having already bought a lovely Genesis mountain bike in it a few years back.. The reason I say lovely is it doesn't get used much, I bought new tyres for it in June and they are still not fitted. I do however manage to slog it in to work around 3 days a week on my trusty and much loved 21 year old Muddy Fox Seeker Mega. 10 miles there and 10 miles bike with not much else cycling wise done in between. If the boss lets us away at a reasonable time on a Friday I'll take the long way home making it a whopping 22 miles with all weekend to recover.
My hankering for a road bike began with  the desire to take part in some charity events over the summer but lacking confidence in my ability to go further than about 25miles it never happened. It took me to  November to get a new for code the cycle to work scheme and then with the current economic climate and no prospect of a pay rise I thought the money was better in my bank account and decided to look for a fixer upper as I didn't need another expensive ornament.
So roll forward to just after Christmas and I'm in Decathlon looking for bib tights for my son to replace the ones I got him off e-bay that did not fit..I spot a row of shiny new road bikes that seem to be too cheap to be true. I had a reasonable clue of spec and things at the budget end of the market from the research I had done in November so I new this was a bargain.yet still pondered about making a purchase for a couple of days.
Finally on the 1st January 2012 I purchased my first road bike for over 30 years a brand new 55cm Raleigh Team Sprint for the princely sum of £150 I really couldn't turn it down at that money .