Routes and Rides – Page 3 – Frank Kinlan's Blog

Hawkstone 200 Audax.

What a day this turned out to be.
It didn’t start out too well as I had an email from Ray about not starting if there was snow on the ground. An inch and a bit later had me heading out to the start. M56 was closed around Daresbury luckily the Garmin Nuvi 250W had the rerouting in hand.
It took a bit of forcing mind you as it wanted to send me back to where I came off.

With this delay time was tight but it did get me there in the nick of time. Phil was there and that was about it. Others were setting off but not on the route but down the A50.
Now with no routesheet or map Phil and I opt to follow the Garmins but take it steady on the lanes. We haven’t much other choice.

64 had entered but only 32 rode. That would explain why we saw very few riders on the ride, 10 to 12 tops. Seamons I think had a chain gang down the A50 as when we reached one of the controls we were told a group had come through nearly an hour before us.

Following the proper route from the start the roads were clear with no ice to speak of. Jodrell Bank came into view so I stopped to take a picture. One of the few on the ride. Very few of us rode the full route.

I really like the Jodrell Bank picture as we were riding for a fair few hours through similar scenery. The snow didn’t dissapear until later. The next two pictures are of Phil closing on one of the few groups we saw on the road. In the morning everwhere looked like a Christmas card and it was really pleasant riding.

Once your seperated music starts coming into the equation, I had spinning class music bouncing around my head. Soulja Boy CrankThat, google it. I had thought ” This is a nice easy ride” only to find we had only done 20 miles. Only 105 to go.

Next stop is the “Red Rooster Cafe” another control point. Well worth a visit in IronBridge. Not a big place but well worth it if you can get a place. I had egg and baccon baguette. This was the halfway point and I needed filling up.

A minute after taking the picture of the IronBridge there was a snow flurry a minute later sunshine. The next section takes up back around Upton Magna and it’s the first time Phil has seen the power station on the outskirts of IronBridge. It just looks so out of place.

There is another control point at Wroxeter which required a trip to the visitor centre. This was livened up by sheep escaping onto the road by the farmer who hadn’t shut the gate.

I’ve got this saying “All roads lead to Wem” because for some reason they do. Every roadsign you seem to come across always seemed to have the same distance on it. The road to Wem is fairly open and the wind is starting to pick up.

Phil stopped at a cash machine here and then it was what seemed one of those straight roman roads to Prees Heath and the control at the Raven Cafe. A place that even welcomes bikers never mind cyclists. We were too late as it was closed so it was off to the garage to get a receipt instead.

After the stop it was a case of finding the non existant footbridge, Phil and I headed off to the roundabout looking for it even though the Garmins were pointing the other way. Then we saw a group of three riders going down a lane we hadn’t seen across the dual carriageway. It was a case of lifting the bike over the Armco to get to the other side.

Conditions slowly got a steadily worse but we had got on the back of the group of three. Then things took a turn for the worse, snow flurries.The overtrousers went on for the rest of the ride. It was really grim at times but it is not as if if you can call it quits when things get a bit tough. Then it let off a bit.

Crossing BoothLane at Middlewich Phil couldn’t get across the road and we split with the other group is sight of the finish. Not the end of the world but we came to a T junction at Jones’s Lane and Brereton Lane where so bright spark had reversed the Holmes Chapel sign. On the map it looks an insignificant juntion and with no waypoint on it and a 50/50 decision the tampered signswayed it. Right instead of left. It proved to be a bad move. Heading over the M6 instead of under it we had a couple of mile detour. Then had to endure a trip down an A road in driving rain with lorries going past at 60 mph.

Got to the finish about 15 minutes later than planned. There was some really good soup waiting for us at the finish, and a coal fire. Could have stayed there all night. 125 miles in 10 1/4 hours. Glad to have done it, it was 50/50 at the start but turned out OK. I mention to people that I went out for a ride at the weekend and the usual reply is how far did you go?. 125 miles, most don’t want to drive that far never mind spend over 10 hours in the saddle.

Northend Ride to Hideaways Cafe.

This is the second time of writing so I hope to get it published this time.
Eureka is full of Northenders on their Saturday rides. There are about three rides leaving the cafe and I opt to ride with the fast group.
This means I’ve got to chase the group as they stop for no-one, not een me taking pictures. I’d just about got on the back by Woodbank. Others had gave up and opted for another group.

I just had to post the fourth picture as it is a shot of the Northend at a red traffic light. Nothing too unusual in that but the number of times the front rides thru on green and the tail gunners get dropped by a red light happens to often.
Anyway I got dropped for taking the pictures. Later on I got dropped again and lost cintact with the group. It came together again at Buckley when the group rode across a set of traffic lights I was coming up to. I was in if it’s a hill it must be on the route mode.
Now there some tough climbs on this route. There was on by the hall with the white gates that was steep. I was in the granny ring and Tempo and Chicago passed me only for me to pass them back further up the hill. Needless to to say I was in the red but thats the way I cycle. It’s about the only time it happened for the rest of the time I was off the back.
18% kept cropping up on some of these gradients which is seriously step.

The climb up to Hideaways Cafe is 18% in parts and just gets rougher as it goes up. Once you leave the mettled section it is just limestone but worth it. The pictures at the cafe don’t do justice to the beauty of the area.The best shot would have been when we left the cafe but I couldn’t afford the time loss.

The cafe managed with our numbers bespite being overloaded at first. We were the only customers.Pancakes for a few of us went down very well. Apple and Bannana pancake went down really well.

I took the ride down from the cafe steady as it is rough. Needless to say I was last. The worrying thing was a Labrador choose to chase me down the road at a great rate of knots. The hippychick owner having no control of the animal.

That was about it I was well and trully dropped, even at 30 mph at Loggerheads I was falling behind. I just latched on to Peter and Clive at Mold but they were off the back too. It was a fast trip down Ewloe hill turning off through Queensferry and GardenCity. Once up Woodbank we were sorted. Cafe and home via the missing link.
Great day even when you don’t think they will turn out like this.

Discovering Shropshire Audax.

I’d signed up for this Audax at the last minute having been in touch with Ray about which one he was doing the week before. He had opted for the 118 Km, 77 mile one rather than the 200 Km event. Pah I hear you cry I wouldn’t get out of bed for that.

Well looks are deceiving and I had spent Friday programming the route into Marengo. Cross referencing it with Anquet OS mapping. It turned out to be a hilly ride due to the rolling hilly nature of the area.

Every time I looked down at the Edge it was showing 10% gradient or seemed that way.

At the start there is much mirth among our group as Ray is checking tyre pressures by squeezing the tyre and coming up with a figure. The funny thing was he was remarkably close on three occasions. Triple puncture Guy should have had his sorted before the event and we had a stop a mile or two down the road to check that the tyre wasn’t going soft. Ray pronounced it Ok at 110 PSI. This puts us towards the back of the ride after a quickish start.

The first control is just past the world Heritage site, IronBridge. You can just see the bridge in the third picture. As you come down the valley you can’t help but wonder what this huge building is with cooling towers. It turns out to be a power station in the most unlikey of situations or perhaps not given this was at the heart of the industrial revolution.

I fell off the back of a fairly large group for these pictures, the actual one of the bridge not making it onto this post.

The first control was at the Tandem shop after negotiating what looked like a landslide. With the card stamped it was time to regroup and do a bit of climbing. It was staring to brighten up a bit and although the roads are still wet it hadn’t rained on us.

Things get a bit spread out on some of the climbs but it allows me to get a few shots in at the top. The last one in this sequence is at the second control point at Rays Farm. The turn is near the bottom of a hill and it’s a sharp climb up to the farm. The chain derailed on the Toy as it got shoved into the granny ring. But no damage done. Busses full of kids were struggling up the hill.

Once out of the control guess what, more climbing. The next section involving the highest point on the ride, Wenlock edge.

After the final control things have brightened up again and it’s turning out nice.
Now the thing is when your riding as a group you go at the pace of the slowest member but things get spread out a bit on the hills. It’s just the way it is, as once you get bunching of riders accidents tend to happen on the steep bits. Touching a wheel means your on the deck.

I tend to favour going off the front and waiting at the top, sometimes to take a picture sometimes not. A rider passes me as I ease up at the top of one of the climbs so I’ve got to return the favour on the next climb. More of a dash down one side of the hill and a sprint turning a big gear up the other. Honour restored it was time to slow down for the others.

It’s not all one way, but the faster riders tend to be at the front anyway. These rides aren’t races but there is an element of competition lurking under the surface.

Another rider passed comment on the Nike Lance 2 shoes. If it was going to be wet I wouldn’ have worn them. As it was they got lightly soiled we shall say at the end of the ride. Nearing Upton Magna there is a tractor and muck spreading tailer that has plastered the road with muck. It spreads for quite a distance. Now I don’t hang around as any traffic coming the other way would plaster you with the stuff. Given the speed I’m not expecting cries from behind me. Guy has leapt on my wheel and I’ve no mudguards.
You can picture the scene, to add to it Janet is on Guy,s wheel. It was a fairly clean ride up until then. Within another couple of hundred yards we are back at the start another great ride over.

The Edge is playing up at the moment by not splitting the rides up properly. Will post a link to the route when I get it sorted.

Link to Google Map of Ride

Missed out a few bits and pieces about the ride, two rides in two days takes a fair bit of writing up and the Edge not splitting them has had me trying to work around a fix for most of the week. SportTracks saving the day in the end.

CTC Presidents ride.

Ride write up to follow, I’ve posted some of the pictures I took on the ride to get things moving. These are compressed thumbnails for the blog the original are about 2.5Mb each if you want an original copy.

The Presidents Ride starts and finishes at the pond in Christleton and there are a fair few turning up maybe 50 or 60 and comprised of two rides a 15 and 18 mile route to the Jessie Hughes Institute at Eaton. Roy ends up leading us off and it turned out to be a good ride. Met a few new faces from other sections including a chap that had ridden the Discovering Shropshire audax the day before.

On the way out, by the Ice Cream Farm a tractor rally passes on the other side of the road. I hould have stopped then as it is a fairly unique sight but as luck would have it our paths crossed later in the day.

Once youve dropped down to the rail bridge and crossed the canal you know know there is going to be a grinding of gears on the climb up the hill. It never fails to catch a few out. It’s the short sharp shock climbs that have me doing the spinning classes a couple of times a week.

There are tea and cakes laid on at the Jessie Hughes Institute. Institute conjured up something grand when I first heard about it and I’d drove past it before not realising that this was it. It’s a wooden hall that is due to be replaced by a brick building. A bit of a blast from the past.

There is a presentation for the the late Graham Mills whose death has left a big hole in local, Welsh and Audax cycling. He’s going to be a tough act to follow and has been missed by many.

Had to stop to get a couple of pictures of the vintage tractors that were touring the lanes in convoy, missed them the first time near the Ice cream farm but caught them the second time. Makes for an interesting ride coming across stuff like this.

The pictures that are not square were taken on the move on the bike as the rest of the group were still cruising along and I didn’t want to drop off the back and get lost.

Link to Google Map of ride

Once we had reached the start a Christleton, four of us headed off back to Chester on the canal towpath. It handily links up with the River Dee cyclepath. Our paths diverged at the blue bridge with Janet and moi heading back to the Eureka to meet of with Roy and Joan and a few others. Roy told me about the hillclimb last year so I’ll be giving it a go.

Back home via the missing link with the temperature starting to drop. Nice ride, local enough for many not to need a car assist. 68 enjoyable miles.

I’ve forgoten everybodies names so if you didn’t get a mention you know why.

Wild Wales Challenge the ride.

What a day, I’ve been building up to this for a while and the weather forecast looked good. It was a bit cold early on as I was packing the bike into the car so I opted for armwarmers for the start of the ride. With 600 riders to book in things were busy at the start. I still hadn’t got anyone to ride with and there were clubs there from far and wide.

The Northend and the Sunlight were looking for a fast time to knock Macclesfield Wheelers off the fastest club so they were out. As it was I ended up going with some CTC riders I’ve ridden with on events before.

First picture is of my riding buddies for the day, second is Peter who led last wednesdays Northend Ride. Pace and Big Phil are the two Sunlight riders. The final picture is of the group going out of Bala. The chap in blue we aren’t going to see much of today as he is about to get dropped off the back as it steepens up only to collect a puncture. Cliff has all the luck but all of it bad.

We do a fair bit of climbing on good roads out of Bala before we turn off to the left. This is taking us to the turn that the route says Engage a low gear. They meant it. People are in trouble right from the turn. Falling off, grinding to a halt, going back down the hill to start again. My lowest gearing is 30X27 and I needed it. Some are already walking and there are a couple of tandems that are on the climb.I meet graham and vicky at the first control on their tandem. It’s a good start so here are some more pictures.

The last two pictures of Allan are on bike shots. Before that Peter is in the middle of the other riders, a bit further on he is giving assistance to the Sunlight. Once back on the main road it’s a chance for groups to reform before climbing up to the summit and entering Powys. This gives Chris and I a chance to test our legs passing some but getting passed by others like the Macclesfield Wheelers.

From the summit it is a very fast descent to Llangynog where the turn is catching a few out. This takes us off the main road and down a lane along the valley.

Took a fair number of pictures on this ride and it was just the usual suspects. The chap in the Gan shirt was riding at around our pace and likewise the Northend chap. We had a fast memorable descent into the village from this junction. I just had to stop to take a picture as I wasn’t getting enough of the scenery. Next up was a drink stop at a garage shop that was getting a steady stream of cyclists. Allan tells theme there are around 600 to follow.

Phil and Gary are the two Sunlight riders here. Chris is inspecting his bike for another chain problem. He suffered a DNF on the Cheshire Cycleway ride with a snapped chain.

One the next stretch is a steady climb that eventually ends at Carno. I get talking to a chap on an old Peugot. He’s a runner and is doing the event on his own as the chap that put him up to it didn’t turn up. His entry cost more than his £12 bike. Going well for a first timer, really well. There was also a Mountain biker at the start who had never ridden more than 50 miles, I don’t know how he fared.

There’s that guy in the Gan top again. Any of the Sunlight care to name the chap on the Mountainbike?. Final control before the Bwlch y Groes was just timed right with a chance to catch up with other riders.

After the control we are heading out to the main event of the day, part of cyclings folklore the climb of the Bwlch y Groes. You know what they say about women and Maps, it isn’t true. On the turn that takes us to the right of the valley is a women calling the Macclesfield Wheelers (some of them) back down the hill. The Garmin has been calling the turns to great effect, faultlessly in fact. It’s a really nice stretch of the ride. I’m taking it easy as I don’t know what to expect all I know its 1000 ft straight up.

Allan and Chris had gone gone on before me as they were descending quicker today and I wanted to get the pictures. You ride through the trees up a 25% gradient to a turn where it all starts. This turn was programmed in to the Garmin as XXXX and sure enough it bleeps and I know I’m in for a hard time.

At the start it isn’t too bad at 10% and I get to take the next picture on the climb!

You still don’t know what is before you from this picture but once your around the next bend you will be stunned by what you see. A climb that just goes on and on getting steeper towards the top.

There are Sunday leisure drivers going up and down the hill which spoils the climb for a few riders as once you stop it is nigh on impossible to restart on a steep gradient. Two cars slowly passing each other nearly spoil it for me and a chap whose wheel I am on but an urgent call to ******* move from him sees them pass but it was incredibly close.

I come up upon Allan walking and ask if he is OK, he is but has been baulked by two cars passing. It takes the shine off the climb for him but it was 20% plus where he was forced to step off. I’ve only got one speed when it comes to climbing and this climb has me maxed out. My heartrate is 170 bpm plus and the climb is about to get steeper. Reaching the Armco is a goal in itself and I don’t want to be a repeat of last year. A girl stops too and I say ” I’m not walking not this far up” and she is of the same mind. We have done most of the climb but the kick up in gradient is just too much. Once the heartrate comes down to something normal I set off again. I used it as an opportunity to take some pictures. Clipping in on a 20-25% gradient can only be done if you ride across the road. The trouble is it’s only 10-12ft wide at this point and there is the risk of a fall if it doesn’t come off.

Well the move comes off and I’m back on my way. The cleat went straight into the Keo,s. I get up to where there is a chap cheering everybody on at the steepest part of the climb. On the bend after I am forced to stop again, 180 BPM and it’s probably wise to stop for a minute than blow up totally. I’m within sight of the summit and was offered a restart from a chap who was on the bend watching us all struggle. I said I was ok and managed to get in the clip again. Not as smooth as last time but I was in.

The final section had me hitting a max for the day of 183 BPM, this is as hard as it gets and there are a group of riders at the top watching the other come up the climb. You do feel you have accomplished something when you get to the top.

Andy sent some pictures of me on the climb that I’m going to cherish for a long time, thanks Andy.

It was the highlight of the ride and you want to stop just to see what you have done.
The whole day has been a fantastic experience and it’s not over yet. There is a descent to do and then the final climb of the Hirnant. At the bottom there is a sharp uphill section that registered 31% on the Edge but it soon fell back and although it is a higher altitude than the Bwlch y Groes it didn’t feel like it at all. Maybe it’s because the gradient tapers off towards the top.

It’s all downhill back to the finish which is just as well as your done with climbing hills. Heading towards the sports centre the Edge give one last bleep “Route complete” and that was it ride over. Handing your card in for signing off your rewarded with a hefty lumps of slate with Wild Wales Challenge 2007 on it, I don’t think it’s going to be my last.

The weather has been kind and made for a memorable ride for all the right reasons. It’s a credit to the CTC and the Merseyside DA. Just remember to get your entry in early to get a ride.

Link to Google Map of Ride opens in new window.

Link to MotionBased map player includes all the ride data. Scary stuff.

The Edge has me Burning 7000 calories on the ride and I was a kilo lighter the next day. 88.6 miles 10,300ft of climbing. One of the highlights of the year. I thought I had a good year last year but this is proving to be even better.

31Aug07 Links repaired to ride map and Motionbased player

Wild Wales Challenge Route

I’ve got my entry back for the Wild Wales and this is a link to the ride route that is going into the Edge.

http://www.marengo-ltd.com/map2/index.php?route=1068

I’ve only used 42 points so far and I’ll be adding some more over the next couple of days. At present I will be doing it as a Route and not a course. I don’t really want to spend the whole ride looking down at the map to see if I’m still on course.
I’m quite surprised that you can do a 90 mile ride on 42 points. The start of the Bylch y Groes gets a XXXX waypoint all of its own.

I’ve a feeling this is going to be a popular post so if your looking to program the route into your Edge for the first time you need to download and save the GPX file from the link.

You then need to export it to your Garmin with GPSBabel. Use the Tutorial for the settings but clear out (delete) any waypoints and Routes first.
I learnt about this event when I joined the CTC last year and this is my first opportunity to ride it. Everyone thats ridden it says how tough it is. The Tour of The Berwys Audax covered parts of the route around Bala so I’ve an idea what I’m letting myself in for.

24 Aug 07 IMPORTANT 22:15 I’ve added more waypoints to the route. Quite a few have picked up the first draft which I think is rideable. The extra points are there for confirmation mainly. Latest route has 72 points.

25 Aug 07 19:45 The FINAL route has been uploaded to Marengo with 79 waypoints. If your going to update your Edge delete ALL the waypoints first and then delete the Route WW07 . If you overwrite your existing gpx file you wont have to alter your GPSBabel settings.

Northend ride to Llangollen

I felt good riding out to the Eureka for breakfast and it had the making of a fine day. It was a toss up between going out with the CTC or go out with the Northend. Most are agreed that I need to be going out with a faster group.

I talked to Dave who was on a borrowed bike. He had a coming together with his wife and his Colnago is broken with a snapped seatstay. Expensive.

I also bumped into Graham who has commented on here before I went out with the Northend.

It was a bit stung out at the start with two groups going down Woodbank. With two rides to choose from I opt to go with Peter on what turns out to be the hilly ride. It’s a bit quicker pace than the other group and there are 6 of us in it.

What Peter doesn’t know about rides in Wales isn’t worth knowing. It was a decent run into Wales through Ewloe and Buckley. Once past Pen-y-Stryt things start to get rather scenic and steep. One of the group leaves for Llandegla. There has been a fair bit of climbing so far but once you reach the top the views are stunning.

The scenery is a feature of this ride. If you like Welsh hills and countryside this is a good ride within reach of the NorthWest.

Double click on the thumbnails to enlarge.

The views are stunning around here, from here it drops down to the River Dee. Part of this descent was down a dark lane of overhanging trees. It was here the sunglasses meant slowing down as I couldn’t see the road surface properly. We follow the road down into Llangollen where we find the Cafe we are scheduled to stop at closed on Wednesday. We relocate to a Cafe opposite the toilet block by the carpark. It wasn’t too bad a stop, beans on toast for me and the we get our water bottles filled. Not a bad little place, it can’t take big numbers mind you but we’ve been to worse.

Once we had left we stopped at a shop we a name about 80 letters long in Welsh.
Dave, who is American by the way gets a transalation by a Welshman whose name I have forgoten. It was an amusing translation. Ok we’ve rested but the next stretch is hard with a capital H. First off is the climb after the bridge. This is steep right from the off but worse is to come. It’s all in the route profile but there are sections of this climb that are between 20-34% and that is steep. I’m sure I saw 37% flash up and that is a new high for me. This is granny ring stuff and you must have a fit granny.

One of a pair of large walkers asks me for lift up a steep bit, not a chance. Once past the farm Queen Victoria stayed at it is the up to the ford.

We stop for a blow at the ford, a few cars go past along with a few 4X4’s full of kids. Everyone tells me how steep the next section is so I take my sunglasses off. I want to see this for real. Not wanting to get the Carbon Fibre Nike’s wet I opt to ride across the ford. Well I was second across and nearly ended up on my arse. The rear wheel was spinning out on the algae or moss. this was scary stuff as the others looked on. And then it was on to the climb, not too bad at first but then it steepens up. Through the trees it gets steep and a half, the two Daves pass me on this stretch.

The next bit is a bit surreal. This is nearly as steep as it gets and we are going up it. Then Victor Meldrew comes up behind us in his poxy Ford Fiesta tooting his horn. This chap gives pensioners a bad name and should have his license taken away, whats more he shakes his fist at us as he drives past Dave. An absolute moron. Only to get baulked by young David. Hope his wife is deaf as he got from two of us.

If your a ride write up reader lots goes on in these rides that doesn’t get written up. We are after all spending many hours with each other. Just getting to the Ford was steep enough and the section after that was really steep. It’s a rolling section to Minera with a steep downhill section.

We stop to regroup at the Minera junction, chat about the climb and chill out. A mountain biker comes down the slope at 30 plus and piles straight through the junction with five of us looking on. No Fear. Either that or he sussed out the road was clear from up above.

The next section is to Cefn-y-bedd and it eventually crosses the A55 at Dobshill with the eventual climb up to Harwarden. The next section see,s the group split, traffic is a bit a busy and various riders loose sight of each other.

Well I’m on my own again this time for at least the third time. The route back is much the same. Once back at the cafe I bump into Andrew who has downloaded the Wild Wales Route. There are a few out there that have already downloaded the Wild Wales Route. I may be adding a few points in the next few days but I think they will only be confirmation points. Just to confirm your on the right route on some of the tricky sections.By all accounts there are a lot of people out there that haven’t got entries that will be riding anyway.

At the end of the ride in the run into the Eureka Ray comes up to my back wheel and says “Carbon Shoes?” and scares the shit out of me as I didn’t know he was there. First time I have seen his new toy, a Trek Madone 5.9 SL. It looks the part in black. I’ve picked up a lot from Ray over the last year and I would class him as a mentor in my recent cycling life. The route planning I owe to him. The understanding about Basal Metabolic Rate and a whole host of other Lifestyle enhancing techniques and functions I owe to Ray.

Pacing yourself on a ride such as an Audax, I’m still learning this off Ray. I’m sorry but you can’t pick up the gems that I have learn’t over the last year by riding with a group or club such as the North End. The pace of the racing based clubs is just too fast for newcomers to pick up in a few rides. It has been a great experience riding with the CTC for the last year and the rides have been the best I’ve done or likely to do.

For God,s sake don’t get some perceived perceptions about the CTC from reading the likes of this site. It is an organisation full of helpfull, selfless people. Some you could call quirky but a jolly good bunch in all. If your wondering where you are in the scheme of things the CTC ride at about 13 mph average on the flat. Club riders are about 17 mph plus. You’ll get a lot more help should you encounter a problem from the CTC than you would from any club, this particually goes for women. Should you be able to keep up with the pace.

Racing biased clubs are not female friendly at all, it’s quite a step for first timers to do a CTC ride when they don’t realise quite what they have let themselves in for. There is a social/networking side to the CTC that the racing clubs just can’t capture.

Back home to a session on the scales which has me at 81.6 Kg a new low. I’ve a Lifestyle and Weight Management Followup class to attend.

Throughout the ride the two Daves are sprinting for village signs with old Dave getting beaten on all but one I gather. He is hampered !!! on a loaned Carbon Fibre bike with full Dura-ace. Every time he gets beaten on a climb its because he has 39 x 21 on the cassette. If it’s not the cassette it’s young Davids weight. Wild claims of 60 Kg including the bike get bandied about. All in good fun. Age might have something to do with it too. David is waiting for GCSE results.

Link to Google Map of Ride

Link to MotionBased Player of Ride

MotionBased gives you my data for the rides. If you download the course (crs) you will be competing against me. The elevation metrics are real. On the climb up to the ford I can see my heartrate as 101% and anything more than 80% is in the hilly territory. Don’t forget my metrics are for a 48 year old bloke who is relatively new to all this. A couple of time trials and the TLI events dosn’t make me a racer.
For me to see 101% effort means it was a tough climb.

I’m now trying to make these ride write ups as appealing as I can to a broad cross section of internet browsers. Given that I started from such a low level, I’m really pleased how things have come on. I’m under no illussions that I have reached the top of the tree because although it might be a personal best for me it might be someone elses off day.

With around a 100 people a day visiting the site through various Google searches I do feel motivated to keep up what I am doing. That’s 3,000 a month, 36,000 a year that have come across my recent story. It is powerfull life changing stuff.

I’ve been called Mr Motivator by two separate individuals in the last week and I did wonder what it was all about. The first was from one of the girls a the spinning classes about the calories I had burnt and the site, the second was at the Lifestyle and weight management followup class. Basically I keep going back to the followup classes once a month even though my programme has finished to keep me on track.
If I don’t go back once a month I’d be a medical statistic rather than someone who has turned his life around.

Covered a fair bit in this post which started out as a North End ride. I’ve been doing this for a year and 99.9 % has been positive. For me it is a form of online diary, if your name makes the pages I’m not going to forget it. One of the most enlightening things is how much this has increased the circle of people I know and more so people that know me but I haven’t met yet.

Ok, enough rambling, it’s the Wild Wales on Sunday. Guaranteed to give me a challenge. Haven’t got anyone to ride with yet but sure to hook up with someone.

NorthEnd ride to Ice Cream Farm plus my Wirral Loop

After yesterdays ride I was looking for something easier today. Luckily the weather took a turn for the worse and a trip to the Ice Cream Farm it was. It started to rain on the way out and this probably finalised the ride.

Not much fun riding on a wheel in the rain, even less if they don’t have guards. My problem is the Iceni still has poor brakes in the wet. Old pads off the Trek don’t have the same feel as they do on the Trek. They are better than they were but as the Iceni comes out for wet rides I better get it sorted.

The Discovery Channel Windshell came out as did the Altura overtrousers. Both did OK and I was looking overdressed compared to some. Scone with jam and a cup of tea at the Ice Cream farm. I haven’t done enough for anything more.

On the way back to the Eureka I see Roy and Joan on their way out. On our way out one chap suffered two punctures and another chap noticed his bars had a crack in them. It’s ten past one and we are back in the Eureka, it’s packed and then they all disappear. Our watering hole is their destination.

It’s time to do another ride, a solo one this time. The route is Puddington, Burton, Burton Marsh, Ness, Parkgate and up to Heswall. Once out of Heswall it is the cyclepath to Thurstaton. I take it as I just don’t want the hassle with motorists today. I have a stop at West Kirby and resist an Ice cream. The queue was too long.

Next up is Hoylake and the wind is behind me. It’s nice and quiet here and I take a picture on the move.

Further on I take a picture on the sea defences as it is totally deserted. I should have took another panoramic shot as it looks really good out here. The rain of the morning is forgoten, I’m in leisure mode now. I don’t need to hold a wheel or maintain an average. This feels good.

New Brighton is busy and it is a fairly straight forward run to Seacombe Ferry. Lane disipline on the cycle path is an alien concept to most. There is a closure speed of 30mph and still they don’t realise they are on the wrong side of the path. One lad with his parents is in a world of his own and it takes two warnings and I still don’t think he knew I was approaching.

The other day I saw a cycle hire opperation at Seacombe and wonder where it is today as this would have been another good day for them. Further on at Woodside the tram is being put away. One of the most underused attractions on the Wirral.
Tea and an apple at Woodside with views over the Mersey to Liverpools new skyline.

Back to the top of Resthill and the rides over. 82 miles. It’s been a good week with four decent rides. Work looms but there is the Wild Wales to look forward to. I’ve got the route and my number and it’s going to get programmed into the Garmin Edge 305.

Link to Google map of Ride

NorthEnd ride to Corwen

Saturdays ride to Corwen was another oportunity for the NorthEnd to give me another pasting in Wales. We spent a lot of Sunday talking about it.
It followed last weeks route up to the lights at Northop where we turned left and went up the hill.

I forgot to press start on the Garmin so lost the ride untill Oakenholt and Papermill lane. We join the Mold-Ruthin road at Cadole. This week we are going down the Blwch towards Ruthin. Before that it’s a slog up to the start of the descent.

Dave manages to loose his reading glasses case which promptly get run over. The glasses were OK funnily enough. I think a mobile went down the road too. I’d used up most of my drink on this section of the ride and was hoping to replenish it at Corwen. Peter and I were sweating on the climbs and I had only took one bottle.

We sailed past the turn for Corwen and started on the old road to Llangollen that I had ridden with Ray in “A tour of the Berwyns Audax “. It turns off and heads over to the Nant Y Garth road or so Tempo thought.

The climbs were steep but a wrong turning had us going up one the was Haute Catagory. I was in 30×27 and really struggling. The Garmin said 14% but I was travelling that slow it wasn’t updating quick enough. I’d say it was 25% and I am on the limit. The others have gone but it regroups at a Tee junction. Here the group splits and half ride up the hill while Tempo and others go downhill Heading towards Llanarmon yn Lall.

We stop at the shop but even this was rushed, I had a small bottle of water and two bannana,s and we were off again. Heading back towards Mold it’s a fast ride to Loggerheads with some sprinting at roadsigns. On the climb out of Loggerheads I get dropped and they are not waiting this week. This ended up being a good thing as I was able to break off and get some liquid in me.

I ended up going to Aldi to buy a litre of Orange juice. Here in the queue for the till a little girl says “Nice Shoes” as her dad explains what cleats are for. They see I only have one Item and let me in front of them. Half a litre of orange juice later I am back doing my own thing. Trying a route out of Mold that didn’t get anywhere.

At the top of Ewloe one of the second group has punctured so I join them for the ride back to the Eureka. Straight Down Ewloe Hill at 30mph and then through Garden City. Up Woodbank and back to the Cafe. Here Andy stops me and we talk about the Edge 305. He has one but hasn’t got around to routes yet but has been on the site.

He is riding a 12 hour race today so good luck. He has found USB chargers in Poundland, so I’m off there to get some. A quid, you can’t buy the batteries for that. Great weather for a beast of a ride, stunning scenery but no pictures.

90 Hard Miles but worth it.

Link to Google Map of Ride

Discovery Channel Steve Cummings Training Ride 4

I thought I’d do another one of these as I’m off on holiday, the weather looked superb in the morning. As it turned out it was not a sub four hour ride as it has been tweeked a bit. A loop to the Ice cream Farm has been added as it is around lunch time. I also do a loop down to the marsh at Ness which include a climb up Denhall Lane.

The loop out to Delamere was into a headwind which was noticable down Oilsites Road. It’s always a test going straight up Primrose Lane as this climb is the steepest on the ride. With sunglasses on going down Dark Arc is scary stuff, the surface is bad in parts and you can’t see much under the trees a 30 mph. You need 30 mph to get to the rail bridge up the hill the other side.

Once at the Station Cafe it was a piece of Chocolate cake with a cherry filling and a pot of tea outside in the sun. The cakes are superb at the Station Cafe, everyone else seems to be having allday breakfasts.

The cake looked that good that a woman and her friend commented on it and how many miles you’d have to do to burn it off. I’ve just ridden 24.8 for it. What has been remarkable is how little traffic there is.

After Cotebrook I decide to take a few pictures of the Mill Pond, just before Oulton Park. It’s another track day and it sounds fast.

Dave has spliced the pictures into this panorama which comes out really well. Thanks Dave.

Next stop is the detour to the Ice Cream Farm, I really like it around Beeston. The roads are quiet the surface isn’t bad along with some of cheshires finest it is a nice place to ride.

Mexican Chicken Bagguette at the Ice Cream Farm, I’d have thought it would have been busier seeing as it is the summer holidays but there was a steady stream going into the ice cream parlour. The Crocky Trail looks busy though.

Next stop is the Eureka after putting in a slight mod to the original Cycling Weekly route. The A5117 roadworks mean a few mods.

Kev and a few of the boys are there from a year ago. Kev mentions the picture I took of them crossing the canal bridge at Chester to Bill?. Kev has it as his wallpaper now. I don’t blame him, it was a good shot I don’t have any of me that good.

Puddington, Burton, Denhall Lane then a stop at Ness Gardens. I’m not looking to break records on these solo rides but just have a good time. I had toyed with the idea of an Ice Cream at Parkgate but it soon passed and it was back to the climb up to the Chester High Road.

The next section is the homeward leg and it was all going fine untill this. 270 cows wanting milking.

This slowed down the average speed for the leg a lot. It seemed like an age following the cows but it was still a great day out.

Finished off with Sarah,s spinning class at Europa Pools.
I ended up loosing a Kg of weight on this ride even with the Cocolate Cake at Dela mere Station Cafe.

Strange how thing change in a couple of hours, a couple of the NorthEnd went the Ice Cream Farm later on and it was heaving.

Link to Google Map of Ride

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