The Challenge : MIND over Body

The amazing cycling achievements at the Olympics on both track and road have left me in awe. This, combined with the success attained by Team Sky, has inspired many. So, how does all this affect me? And what can I do to build upon this legacy of cycling excellence?

Next summer, just hours before the world's top cyclists race the RideLondon Classic, 20000 cyclists will have the chance to cycle a modified version of the London 2012 Olympic Road Race. This new event offers a unique opportunity to become part of cycling history. Celebrating the legacy for cycling created by London 2012, RideLondon 100 will start in the new Queen Elizabeth Olympic park, then follow the closed roads through the capital and onto Surrey's stunning country roads and hills. With leg testing climbs and a route recently made famous by the world's best cyclists, this promises to be a truly spectacular event for all involved.


One of my sons is quite athletic across a range of sports and is always looking for the next challenge. To channel this energy, he undertakes events and at the same time raises money for MIND, a mental health charity. Last weekend he phoned me up and persuaded me to join him in entering the London 100 as part of a weekend of the celebration of cycling. It was only after that I had rushed upstairs, filled out the relevant forms and despatched my cash that I realized that this was a 100 miles ride not the 100 kilometres that I had assumed. Furthermore, there was a time cut off as they wanted the finishing place cleared in plenty of time for the elite riders to perform and demonstrate their prowess. Entry to this event is by ballot or at the invitation of one of the chosen charities so it will be awhile before we know for sure whether or not we have been accepted.

Now 100 miles, or 160 kms, is significantly further than I have ever ridden before and to make the time cut off I will need to pedal at least 10% faster than my normal current average. My son informs me that it will be no problem as if half the ride is spent climbing hills the other half can be spent freewheeling down the other side and so, in reality , I will only be pedalling for 80 kms which is within, or rather just at the limit,  of my current endurance.I think there must be a flaw in his logic somewhere :-()  In any event, some serious preparation will be required and it better begin now!

When cycling ; weight kills. So my master plan involves stripping my bike of all the surplus stuff that I carry in my saddle bag and persuade my son to become my super domestique and load him up with spare tubes, pump, multi-tool, chain tool. SRAM link, extra clothing for changeable english weather, suntan cream, anti-insect bite cream, food, drink, maps, cycle lock, keys, mobile phone, etc.

I can then make the bike even lighter by removing the mudguards,  and could this be the excuse to purchase a set of American Classic lightweight wheels which not only will roll faster than my Mavic A417 rims with Miche RC2 Racing Hubs but will also weigh less.

Obviously I will have to address the question of my own personal weight, but perhaps a haircut will suffice in that department.

To achieve this challenge is going to mean that I will have to ride further, faster and for longer than I have ever previously done.  To keep track of my progress I intend to record my training rides on Strava and use the tag , London100T, to distinguish my training efforts from my social cycling.

The target is to ride 150km at an average of at least 21kph and then hope that the sense of the occasion and the tow from the pack will provide the extra push needed to arrive back in central London within the designated time and so complete the Challenge.

I suspect that this really will be a battle of Mind over Body

The Novice Bike Mechanic ( Part 2 )

Part 1 described how I went about removing the chain rings on my 1961 Mercian Audax with the aim of replacing them with a more hilly friendly version as I prepare for a life of cycling in my dotage. One of the main obstacles I encountered was the question of how much force to use to loosen the threads, many of which had seized up over the decades since the bike was last stripped and assembled.
Re-building with new components is in theory a simple process of just reversing the process but life for me never seems that simple and for a bodge-it man could present many challenges. What I needed was a book!   And my GS Gazzetta friends came up with an excellent suggestion

So armed with my new fount of knowledge I started the rebuilding process. Stage 1 was to insert the new Bottom Bracket, having first cleaned out all the accumulated dirt and debris which had collected in the shell. The insertion bit was quite easy and the tightening of the shell thread, enough to pinch tight but not to endanger the thread stipping. Feeling quite good so far.

Just a slight smear of grease on the new crank threads and we were nearly there. I was very wary of over tightening the crank bolt and in the event, after the bike had been ridden for a few kilometres, I had to return to this and tighten a little more. Perhaps the bolt was still bedding down. The smaller chainset meant that I also had to lower the front derailleur changer, all in accordance with my instructions from ZIM

The old big ring was a 52 tooth size whereas now it had shrunk to 46 and so there was a question about chain length but I am convinced that messing about with link removal is something of a black art..literally when you see how I appear to get grease and oil on my wife’s white towels! So I left it alone and just checked that the gear changer still worked,
And the bike was ready to roll!

However, in practice I discovered that the gear changes were not working as smoothly as I would have liked and I think that the position of the rear derailleur with the longer chain was ( partly? ) to blame. And so it was back to ZIM to find out what to do and what was needed. The recommendation of a Park Chain Tool to squeeze the links together when removing a SRAM link was excellent and made the job so much easier. Calculating the new chain length according to ZIM ( my new bike mechanic phrase ) I used another Park Tool to remove a few links and then reassembled everything and tried again

This time everything seems to be working.

Whilst I would not now call myself even a reasonable bike mechanic, I have enjoyed this exercise, made more enjoyable by not being under time pressure as I had another bike to ride. It has also given me a deeper understanding of how the whole thing works..problem is I am now listening out to every creak, groan that my Mercian makes and spend a ride trying to diagnose non-existent problems. Oh, and I do now have the basis for a set of good quality bike tools.

GS Gazzetta on Tour

One of the best things about cycling are the people that you meet. They tend to be a friendly, helpful bunch and riding in a group with others has become a really enjoyable pastime in my retirement. And so, when I received an invitation to ride with the Shifnall Cycling Society on their Summer Social Ride I was delighted; but a bit apprehensive as well.
' Not to worry ', Andrew said, ' we wont be travelling at more that 20kph and the route that I have in mind is  mostly flat'  ( I should not be writing this next bit but I will ! ) ' Besides, some of the ladies will be with us and that will keep everything slower'  ( No more chocalate cookies for you Andrew! )
On reflection I should have known better I suppose.  Half the group had been training in the Alps the previous week, climbing the Col du Telegraphe before proceeding to the 2645m summit of the Col du Galibier and then onto the Col du Lautaret, never more than 4 Cols per day they said modestly. Not all of them had been to the Alps, some had remained behind to train for triathalons and cross country events, indded a fair few had been out running prior to joining to-day's ride.
With thighs of a size that would have made even Chris Hoy tremble with fear ( not the ladies I hasten to add, they were more Lizzie Armitage shape ) these lean , mean racing machines were ready to roll.
I was at least 25 years older than the eldest member of this peleton and my legs were beginning to shake with the fear of what was to come.
As our group assembled in the glorious sunshine

Wiggins, Froome, Cavendish and the rest of the TdF were leaving on their triumphal ride to Paris.
It is worth noting here the similarities between our peleton and that of the TdF; with the exception of myself, none of the other riders' bikes had mudguards and large saddle bags stuffed with the essential cycling accessopries such as cake! My Thursday CTC veteran crew would not have approved!
And so we rode, undulating would be a better description that flat but the maximum gradient was never more than 8%. There are some beautiful villages in this part of the world as we sped through Shropshire ans crossed into Staffordshire. The lanes were packed with cyclists ranging from the road warriors in their matching lycra gear to leisure cyclists out enjoying the summer sun, indeed I waslucky enough to meet another Mercian devotee who had loving assembled his machine.
The total ride was around 63km with an ascent of 620m and so Andrew had been true to his word and kept it well within my scope. My average heart rate at 141bpm with am peak at 162 was at continuous race effort for me but led to a wonderful and joyous day.
A big thanks to all at Shifnall Cycling Society for giving me such a warm and generous welcome.
I amn really enjoying travelling to meet and ride with other cycling groups but perhaps with my limited capabilities I should stick to those who travel at a more sedate place. I fear that I am holding these youngsters back.

Wiggys Challenge

Paul is the chairman of G S Gazzetta and is a powerful and enthusiastic cyclist; or rather he used to be.. Things have not gone to plan just lately and so, in order to get back on track he issued the following challenge to others whose good intentions did not match reality.

"Calling lapsed cyclists like I am at the minute - I challenge you to cycle everyday for the next week starting today for 5 days. Let's get back on our bikes and in the routine together for one week. If, like me, you've had a difficult time getting into the routine of cycling after illness, injury or just not felt like it then join me for the next 5 days as we help each other get back on our bikes"

On your bike, turbo trainer or spinning classes count too, let's get everyone moving again.  2 miles, 2 hours or 200 miles, every little helps.

This note describes my attempt to respond to the challenge.

Day 1.
Mondays is the day when our group of four Old Age Pensioners, including me, go for a gentle meander around some of the local derbyshire lanes but this day was different. Torrential rain, with more promised, had left reports of many roads flooded with chaos everywhere. So two of our number had decided to stay at home and so Alan and I, intrepid members of Derby CTC, set off to view the watery landscape. Leaving Mickleover we headed along the NSN68 to Derby and then rode alongside the River Derwent. Whilst high and moving fast, the river was contained and just gave the hint of suppressed power. Leaving the river we turned and headed towards Swarkestone and its ancient causeway, the idea being to turn off and follow the road up to Milton where a new tea shop had been opened. However, around here the banks of the River Trent are higher than the surrounding roads and these banks had burst.  Abandoned cars littered the roads where intrepid drivers had tried to drive through the flooded road. The water still looked deep and so we made a detour across the causeway and up through Stanton with the aim of rejoining our route the other side of the flooded stretch. Principle fine, execution poor.  We rejoined the road only to find further floods and so the only way was to brave the elements.

nce through the floods we climbed to Milton, and then ventured over the top through Ticknall and Calke before descending into Breedon for a well deserved lunch. From there it was up the wall to Breedon Church and then down to join the Cloud Trail and head back home.

Total journey was 66km with 500m ascent. See  http://app.strava.com/rides/12928307 for details.

Day 2

I am beginning to think there should be a prize awarded for the completion of this challenge.  Yesterday, and last week, I ventured into Leicestershire and on both occasions got thoroughly drenched. Soaking shorts in combination with a soaking wet leather Brooks saddle has had a detrimental effect on my undercarriage :-()  They say that as you get older you revert to childhood and I have reverted to the use of Sudo Cream to ease the pain. Never-the-less, the challenge continues.
Today’s ride went round the local lanes but the floods had not relented..indeed over night the rain had come down worse than ever. One of the main problems after the storms is that  gravel is strewn all over the lanes making descending trecherous, and I am not very good at that anyway. More flooded roads again caused a route diversion and to compound my woe, no toasted tea cakes at the tea shop where I had taken refuge from the latest deluge.

Todays statistics, 30km with 212m ascent. See http://app.strava.com/rides/12997165

To-morrow may be an even  shorter ride to give my body time to heal

Day 3

This was as hard as I had expected. Not the distance which at 18km was short, nor the ascent of 217m, but , despite some extra padding it was an uncomfortable ride. At least it was dry and the tea shop at Meynell Langley is always worth a visit. I know; stopping for a tea and cake stop in midst a short journey is not really on, but this was an exceptional day.
To-morrow is my usual day for a long ride with the Derby CTC veterans. I will see how the body feels.

To-days statistics, see http://app.strava.com/rides/13087446

Day 4

A lot of advice received overnight on how to both treat saddle sores and prevent them occurring in the first place. So, with layers of sudo cream, vaseline barrier, extra padding and a decent set of padded shorts, I determined to at least meet the rest of the crew at the starting point. We ride weekly and the members of the Derby CTC Thursday peleton come from all corners of the city environs and so we have recently taken to meeting up in a different tea shop each week to share out the pre-start ride time. To-day we were due to meet in Denby which though one of the longest pre-rides for me is fairly flat. The idea was to then climb some of the derbyshire peaks in a 80km ride which, for me , would have meant a round trip of ~120km which is close to my limit on good days. So I decided to leave them and return home following the cake stop. It is well known that I am not a natural climber and must moan more than most when the peleton veterans decide on a hilly route day. But, on the way back I purposely sought out the biggest hills just to test my legs, I just hope that none of the Thursday crew read this or I will never live it down.

Todays statistics 38km, with 210m ascent, see http://app.strava.com/rides/13174823

One day to go!  I am still on course to complete the challenge.

Day 5

Failure!

It is pouring with rain and i do not want to push my body through another drenching.

I have enjoyed attempting this challenge despite my inability to complete it. On the positive side I have met a number of lapsed cyclists at the tea shop stops on my tours and told them what I was attempting. Many of them have said that they have a bike in their garage or shed and would get out and ride. They may not become fervent cyclists but even if only one starts cycling again then some good will have come from my week’s efforts.

I met a traveller from an antique land..

When I retired four years ago and bought a bike I remember going on my first ever ride; a round trip of 10km which included a tea shop stop. I was cream crackered. This was an epic journey for me.
Since those days, my strength and stamina have increased a little, my original second hand, old and very heavy steel bike has been replaced by my Mercian stable, and now I am able to venture farther afield. Joining my local CTC ( Cyclists Touring Club ) has been a major encouragement.I now am a regular participant on the Thursday Ride and along with a bunch of mainly Old Age Pensioners we tour around Derbyshire with occasional invasions into the surrounding counties of Staffordshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. I christen these journeys the tea shop tours. Typical distances vary between 80-120km which for the majority of our peleton is well within their compass. For me it is pishing on my limits of endurance.
The definition of what constitutes a long distance ride is a very subjective judgement. Four years ago for me it would have been 10km, now it is more like 100km. But for others 100km is just a warm up.
I met such a traveler the other day. Paul comes from the  ancient land of Peterborough, had travelled by train to Derby and was then aiming to follow the National Cycle Network route 68 to Berwick-on-Tweed. This is a journey of around 570km and courses through some of the most picturesque, and hilly, land in England. Unfortunately Paul’s journey had not had the most auspicious of starts as he had got lost coming out of Derby Railway Station, going south instead of north and this had resulted in a 20km detour before he had got on to the right track. There is something to be said for a Garmin 800!! It was no wonder that Paul had felt the need for a cake stop at the Tara Centre in Etwall which is where we met last Saturday afternoon. Given his travails to date I offered to ride with him on the rode to Ashbourne, the next stage of his journey. He was headed for Buxton as his overnight stop and with a fully loaded bike powered by a 53/34 compact chain ring and a cassette with a maximum gear of 25 teeth, I did not envy him as he tackled the Derbyshire Peaks. Mind you, he was much younger than me.

The CTC is a friendly lot and Paul is a member of the Peterborough Branch and had aranged to join the Berwick Branch on their Sunday ride before catching the train back from Berwick to Peterborough on Sunday afternoon.  
I wonder if he made it?
He truly was a long distance traveller from an antique land.

A Mechanical Interlude

Rule #12 states that while the minimum number of bikes one should own is three, the correct number is n+1, where n is the number of bikes currently owned. This equation may also be re-written as s-1, where s is the number of bikes owned that would result in separation from your partner.


My previous post talked about my venture into bike maintenance and described my initial steps to upgrade the chain wheels on my vintage mercian. Whilst this exercise is probably a simple and straightforward exercise to the majority of readers of my ramblings, to me it is a major undertaking which will take a while to complete as I discover the necessary steps and acquire the requisite tools.  The outcome of all this is that the bike is hors de combat as it languishes in my garage.
This workshop project does not curtail my cycling completely as I can always use my Specialized Sirrus Comp hybrid or my new Mercian Vincitore Special, or rather I could until the hybrid started emitting very disturbing grinding noise from the front wheel whilst out riding the other day. 

“Wheel bearings gone” said my knowledgeable companion. “ Very tricky task replacing those. Little blighters have a mind of their own once  released from the bearing race “ ( whatever that is ) he continued. “ Better not use it again until fixed “  

And so, I was down to my last bike..and that was my new, shiny Vincitore which ought not really be exposed to wet weather.
This disaster scenario led to the following exchange with my wife.

Me:   “ I only have ONE working bike “
Wife :  < silence >
Me: “ And I can’t really use that in wet weather, it might get the chainset dirty “
Wife: < silence >
Wife leaves room

This was not going quite the way I had hoped.

As part of the essential (??!!) upgrade process with which every bike owner is completely familiar and understands, I now have 5 saddles.  Two Brooks B17, a Specialized gel saddle, an old Madison saddle and my latest acquisition, a Selle Italia SLR GF team edition built on a carbon fibre frame.

I am now wondering whether to try a fresh approach to wife on the number of bikes needed  based around the proposition that with 5 saddles and only 3 bikes there is an obvious mismatch

What do you think of my chances of a favourable outcome?

The Novice Bike Mechanic ( Part 1 )

I worked for one of the world’s premier engineering firms for over 35 years but my skills were much more theoretical than practical and I must be a contender for the world’s worst mechanic.
So it was with much trepidation that I decided to teach myself how a bike was put together by actually dismantling and rebuilding one rather than just study a maintenance manual.
I also have to recognize that as I get older those Derbyshire Peaks seem to be getting steeper and, whilst I can still climb as well as any on our Thursday Veterans ride, the others manage it by having a chainset which is much more suitable for the task than those on my bikes.
My 1961 Mercian still has its original Campagnola 52/42 chain rings  to which someone has later added a 30 tooth inner ring and these combined with a 12-28 cassette mean that all hills encountered to-date are manageable, but this will not always be the case.

So, I decided that my introductory bike mechanic project would be to change the chan rings to a more hill friendly set.  One of the great things about cycling is that people are always ready to give you recommendations and advice on how to proceed. After much discussion at many tea and cake shops, and looking what others had fitted, I determined on a 46/36/26 chainset with a strong recommendation to buy some proper tools to carry out the job and not bodge my way through.
My first lesson about bike upgrading was that it is very similar to my wife buying a dress for a wedding or any other event.. There is an inevitable creeping project scope as the dress needs complementing by a pair of shoes, handbag, jewellry, special hair cut etc, none of which were envisaged in the original scope spec that I had imagined.  The final cost makes the dress look a minor part of the whole ensemble!! Now bike scope creep is much more exciting as I discovered that I needed a new compatible Bottom Bracket and obviously (??? ) a new set of pedals so I could be firmly attached to the bike when hill climbing. I also needed some tools so purchased crank extractors, pedal removal spanner, 2 sets of bottom bracket sockets ( as new chain rings were not compatible with old BB )  and, as it turns out, a BIG spanner.

One of the amazing things about practical bike mechanics as opposed to the theoretical reading about it is that where in the instructions it says “ turn bolt anti-clockwise to remove “ it mentions nothing of the fact that after 50 years the original pedals were attached without greasing the threads ( see, I am learning! ) and now the things seem to have welded themselves together never to be separated from the cranks again in man’s lifetime. However, fortified by an extra piece of cake, and using what I considered to be excessive force, they eventually gave in to reason and the nuts loosened. This theme of very difficult to loosen nuts/bolts was a recurring feature of the dismantling process and the crank removal was a particularly frightening experience as everyone warned me that the combination of hardened steel tools and aluminium crank threads could have dire consequences if you got it wrong.

But eventually I managed to remove the cranks and exposed the bottom bracket.

Whoever had installed this had obviously not read the same articles that I had. It was meant to be inserted and then gently tightened until just firm. In order to remove this I needed not only the correct socket but an 18 inch spanner which was repeatedly thumped at the end with a rubber mallet before I could get the bolt to move.  But eventually it did and the bottom bracket could be extracted.

Part 1 of the project, disassembly and removal, is now complete and the next stage is just to clean things up before rebuilding with the new bits begins.

Or is it?

Now that I have got this far, the frame does looked a little scratched in places, and you can no longer get 27inch wheels, and the tyre choice for 27inch wheels are very limited and am I really happy with those brakes?

Time to ponder.

Better cycle to the cake shop and have a think...